A Different Perspective
by ABitOHoney
Summary: Katara used to think Zuko was just arrogant and selfish, but after spending time alone with him, her opinion gradually changes. Of course, when Aang and the rest of the gang find out, they are not too happy, but with time, they too see a different side.
1. Introduction

_AN: The intro is basically repeating the end of the episode Crossroads of Destiny, but in Zuko's point of view._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of its characters. There are several direct quotes and scene references from the aforementioned episode of which I use in my intro, and I do NOT take any credit for them._

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**A Different Perspective**

**Introduction**

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When the earth benders tossed me into crystal catacombs, I heard a girl's voice exclaim my name in surprise. I was somewhat surprised myself to find the water bending friend of the Avatar standing in front of me. I sat on the cave floor, my back turned to the girl. She immediately began questioning and badgering me, falsely accusing me of plotting to trap the Avatar and other nonsense.

After releasing most of her frustration with hateful words aimed at me, the water tribe girl turned and sat on the floor, her back to mine. Most of her words had only agitated me, but what she said next caused a slight, undesired pain in my chest.

"The fire nation took my mother away from me," she stated dejectedly.

She had no idea just how much I understood that pain. She was so completely oblivious to my circumstances, and how I had too lost my mother. I was not sure whether the pain in my chest was caused by my own grief over my lost mother, or if it was pity for the girl, who was now obviously crying.

"I'm sorry," I replied softly, turning around from my spot on the floor to look at the girl. "That's something we have in common."

I wondered why I was saying these things, why I cared. I watched as she wiped her tears away from her face and peered over her shoulder at me. I knew she was just as confused as I was. I did not normally act this way, but I could not help but understand her pain, and feel slightly to blame.

We both stood, looking away from each other, silent for what seemed like eternity.

The water bender finally broke the silence with an apology.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before. It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

I cringed at the though of my scar. I touched it, feeling hurt and misunderstood.

"My face.. I see," I replied softly, looking away in shame.

She told me she did not mean it that way, and for some reason I found myself telling her my feelings. Then she told me there was a possibility I could be free of my scar. My heart pounded fiercely at the thought and I turned to her, my eyes wide. I wondered if she was serious. How could I possibly be free of this scar? When she told me she had healing abilities, my heart sank. No amount of healing from a water bender could free me of my mark of shame. Showing me her flask of sacred water, she explained of how she might be able to heal my scar using the water.

As she approached me I felt slightly nervous. Could she really do this? Or rather, would she really do this? After all the trouble I've caused her and her friends, why would she even try to heal my scar? I closed my eyes and she lifted her hand to my face, her fingers gently touching my scar, and her thumb brushing against my lips.

I felt a sudden rush of emotions, questions. Why was I letting her touch my scar? I had never let anyone touch it before. I was also excited that she might be able to free me from my constant reminder of dishonor and exile. At the same time I was worried. What if she healed me and nothing changed? What really bothered me the most was that I noticed the details of how soft her touch felt. After all I had done to her, battling with her to capture the Avatar, and even capturing her as bait, here she was gently touching my face, speaking of using her water from the North Pole spirit oasis.

Just as soon as it started, it all ended. There was a sudden loud explosion as the Avatar and my uncle came through the opening in the wall the Avatar had obviously created. I glared hatefully at the Avatar as the water tribe girl exclaimed his name and ran to him, embracing him. My uncle ran to me as well, hugging me tightly.

Once again my emotions ran wild. I was disappointed that the girl had been interrupted in her attempt to heal me. I was also disgusted to see the Avatar, and ever more appalled to see that my uncle had been with him.

My uncle told the Avatar and the water bender to leave, desiring to have a talk with me. I was in no mood to talk with my uncle. As my uncle was in the middle of giving me one of his typical lectures, the ground suddenly shook and the crystals in the cave surrounded and trapped my uncle. I looked up only to find my twisted sister Azula.

She attempted to get me to side with her, just as I knew she would. Her words meant nothing to me, I knew she was lying. As always, she was trying to use me, but I wouldn't fall into her trap this time. I played along though, in an attempt to play her at her own game. I pretended to struggle with a decision. She opted to let me decide on my own, and left me alone. I assumed she went to find the Avatar.

I glanced at my uncle, keeping my stern expression, trying to fool him as well. He would find out soon enough what my true intentions were. I could hear a fight stirring up above, and knew it was my sister. Without looking back at my uncle, I took off to find my sister.

When I arrived in the room where my sister was fighting the Avatar and his water tribe friend, I released a blast of fire in the center of them, getting their attention. My sister glared at me, threatening me to take her side. I would take her side, only to trick her. I had plans for her.

I attacked the Avatar, leaving the water tribe peasant to my sister. Though this was supposed to be a ploy, I found it not at all difficult to attack the Avatar. I still felt the need to capture him in order to restore my honor.

When I managed to knock down the Avatar I realized that my sister was being overpowered by the water bender. I was somewhat intrigued that the girl could put my sister in that position, but I set that thought aside and used my fire whip to break the water whip the girl was using to restrain my sister.

My sister then took after the Avatar and I proceeded to fight the water bender.

"I though you had changed!" the water bender yelled as she fought back.

"I have changed," I exclaimed, releasing a blast of fire at the girl.

Soon I found myself surrounded by help. The earth benders my sister had managed to take under her control had shown up. We had the Avatar and his friend surrounded.

The Avatar turned and sat on the ground, creating a crystal wall around himself. I was confused at first. Then, as I saw a bright glow through the crystals, I realized what he was doing. He was entering the Avatar state.

Before I could react, the Avatar rose from his position with an explosion of air and rock. I stared up at him in awe and slight fear. I had seen him in this state before, when he took down Zhao.

That was when I made my mistake. I was so affixed on the Avatar that I had not seen my sister raise her hand to the Avatar. Without notice, a bolt of lightning penetrated the Avatar, his now lifeless body plummeting to the ground below. This was not how it was supposed to happen.

I had little time to think or react, as the water tribe girl glided over to the Avatar, taking down the earth benders, my sister, and myself with a tidal wave of water.

When my sister and I stood to attack the water tribe peasant, my uncle came to their aid. He was clearly outmatched, but I knew he was just trying to buy the Avatar and friend some time. After the girl ascended out of the room with the Avatar, my uncle surrendered, allowing the earth benders to capture him.

As my uncle stood trapped by the earth that had been bent around him, he looked away from me, obviously ashamed of my decisions. I felt a slight tinge of guilt, but held my head high. My uncle would not be held captive for long.


	2. Chapter 1

Katara lay back on Appa, holding Aang in her arms while he rested. She was relieved that she was able to heal Aang, but she still felt dismay, knowing that Ba Sing Se had fallen, and Prince Zuko had betrayed her. She thought back to their time in the crystal cave. He seemed so different. She had actually felt somewhat sorry for him. Then her thoughts turned to his attack on the Avatar. She scowled at the thought of her almost wasting her precious water on healing the jerk. "Why did he tell me he did change?" she asked aloud, meaning to keep it to herself.

"Why did who tell you what?" Sokka asked, looking questionably at his sister.

"Nothing," Katara replied, forcing a smile for her brother.

Katara continued to ponder Zuko's words, but was unable to come to any other conclusion besides the plain and simple fact that she had trusted him and he betrayed her. The idea sent her thoughts back to memories of Jet. She wondered if this would be her luck with all men. She glanced down at Aang who was now awake and looking up at her, smiling sweetly. His pleasant, innocent smile calmed her nerves, and she assured herself that clearly not all men would betray her. She smiled back at Aang, then closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

As Zuko entered the corridor where Iroh's cell lay, he peered behind him, making sure none of the guards had followed him. When he approached the cell, his uncle looked up from his spot on the floor, somewhat startled at his nephew's arrival.

"Zuko, please tell me you've brought some tea," Iroh spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry uncle," Zuko whispered, "You must keep your voice down. If the guards find us speaking to each other they will catch on." Iroh looked questioningly at his nephew. "I'll have you out of here soon enough. But I need to play along with this long enough to find out my sister's plans," Zuko whispered, "We will take her down…"

Zuko glanced over his shoulder, hearing somebody approaching form the end of the hall. He turned back to his uncle who was now looking at him with sad eyes. "I'll bring you tea next time, I promise!" Zuko whispered hurriedly and took off for the opposite end of the corridor.

A guard approached Iroh's cell, peering in distrustfully at him. "What are you smiling about?" the guard questioned, eyeing him with suspicion. "What's not to smile about?" Iroh replied, his usual wide grin irritating the guard even more. "If you're thinking of escaping, forget about it," the guard growled, "Even if you get past me and the other guards, Princess Azula will have no problem stopping you." Iroh flashed an innocent smile. The guard huffed and continued his way down the hall.


	4. Chapter 3

"So Zuzu, what do you say we go home and pay father a visit?" Azula asked from her spot on the throne as Zuko entered the room and stood beside her. Zuko stared blankly at his sister, unsure how to reply. "What?" she questioned, smiling in a manner that Zuko assumed was supposed to be innocence, though he was unconvinced. "I don't know…. I don't even have the Avatar…" Zuko trailed off. "I thought I already told you, father will be pleased that you assisted in taking over Ba Sing Se. You succeeded where uncle had failed," Azula replied, her eyes gleaming with malevolence. "Yeah," was all Zuko could find for words. Luckily enough for him Azula's attention was taken to one of her friends, Ty Lee, who was somersaulting about the room.

* * *

Aang sat cross-legged in the grass, glumly tracing his fingers along his staff which lay beside him. "What are we going to do? I still need to learn fire bending, and Ba Sing Se has already fallen. The solar eclipse is less than two months away, but I'm sure the fire nation already knows of our plans," he complained.

Katara sat down alongside Aang, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Aang. We'll think of something," she replied calmly.

"Yeah. We could always toss Appa and Momo in the middle of the fire nation as a distraction," Sokka piped in. Appa growled, while Momo chattered and flew to Aang's shoulder. Katara shot him a threatening glare while Toph bended the earth beneath him, causing him to collapse to the ground. "What?" Sokka whined, thinking he'd said nothing wrong, "I just meant that as a last resort."

"This isn't a time for jokes Sokka," Katara scolded, eyeing her brother as he stood, brushing himself off.

"What if we got our friend to help us? I doubt Azula killed him," Toph suggested, staring blankly towards the others.

"You're not talking about Iroh are you?" Katara questioned.

"Why not?" Toph replied with a shrug.

"You've got to be kidding me! You want Zuko's uncle, brother of Ozai, a fire bender, to join us?!" Sokka shrieked.

"Well yeah…" Toph answered, "Maybe he could teach Aang fire bending. He's really a great man. He's wise too. I really think he would help us."

Katara pondered the idea for a moment. "You know, you might be on to something, Toph. He may be from the fire nation, but I'm not so sure he's really an enemy."

Aang stood and faced Katara. "That may be true, but how will we even get him? I mean the Dai Li would be hard enough to get past, but Azula and Zuko would be even worse!"

"We have to try something Aang," Katara replied, trying to keep the group positive, "Besides, I know with you leading our team, we can do anything."

Aang blushed at the compliment, turning away from Katara's sweet smile. "Thanks," he murmured.

Sokka glared at his sister, hands on his hips, "I thought we decided a long time ago there were no leaders!"

Katara and Aang laughed, rolling their eyes at Sokka.

* * *

Zuko sat at a table centered in one of the earth kingdom's libraries, looking over some fire bending scrolls his uncle had given him not long ago. His concentration was suddenly interrupted as Ty Lee's overly cheery face appeared from across the table.

"Whatcha doin'?" she exclaimed, peering at the scroll in his hand. Zuko jumped, startled by her intrusion. He glared across the table at Ty Lee, who was now accompanied by the not so enthusiastic Mai.

"Ty Lee, what does it look like he's doing?" Mai asked dryly.

Ty Lee shrugged and turned to Zuko. "Princess Azula says the ship is ready and she's waiting for you to board."

Zuko said nothing as he slowly rolled up the scrolls he had spread across the table. He waited until Mai and Ty Lee had left the room before following.

* * *

At the ship, Azula stood waiting for Zuko's arrival. As he approached her she gave him her fake smile, "Let's go home brother."

Zuko was well aware that she was using him, and that she had her own plans for him, but he was not worried. He had his own plans for her, though he wasn't sure he was quite ready to take her on. He knew he had to take her out before they reached home, but he needed to talk to his uncle before anything could be done. "I can't wait," he replied and headed to the rear of the ship to gather his thoughts.

Azula watched as her brother walked off, growing suspicious of his demeanor. Ty Lee and Mai stood on either side of her, watching as well.

"Keep a close eye on my brother," Azula remarked, "I think he's up to something."

"I don't think Mai will have any problem keeping her eyes on Zuko!" Ty Lee teased, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Be quiet!" Mai growled, turning away to hise the slight red in her cheeks.


	5. Chapter 4

Zuko rushed down to the cellar of the ship, holding a cup of hot tea. It had been too long since they had left for home. He was certain they were close, and he had still not had the chance to speak with his uncle. In his hurriedness he had not realized he was being closely followed by Azula's friends. When he arrived at what was supposed to be his uncle's cell, he realized the door was wide open. The cup of tea he had been carrying fell to the floor and shattered as he stared into the empty cell. "No, uncle, you were supposed to wait!" he said to himself. He quickly spun around when he realized he had company.

"Why, hello Zuko!" Ty Lee chimed, "Fancy meeting you down here!"

Zuko readied himself to attack the intruders, but before he or the girls could make a move the ship suddenly jerked. They had arrived at the fire nation. Zuko began to fret; realizing things were not at all going to plan. His uncle had escaped without waiting for him, Mai and Ty Lee had caught him, and even worse, they were home. Not knowing what else to do, he took off in the other direction, hoping to find his uncle and lose the girls. Ty Lee and Mai were not about to let him get away.

When Zuko stormed up and onto the deck of the ship he was astonished to find his uncle taking on Azula along with the Avatar and his friends. He never thought he would feel so relieved to see the Avatar.

It seemed clear who would reign victorious in the battle to come. Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai were clearly outnumbered and outmatched by Zuko, Iroh, Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka.

* * *

Aang and his friends had managed to sneak on the ship and free Iroh. After speaking with him briefly they had come to the decision of attacking Azula as a team. Now here they were, with another unexpected ally, Zuko, ready to take on Azula and her subsidiaries. 

Not long after the battle began, Azula found herself surrounded by both her uncle and her brother. Iroh and Zuko stood in front of her, in their stances, ready to attack. Azula crossed her arms and smiled sardonically. "You poor fools. You don't even realize you've sealed your own fate," she sneered.

Zuko looked at his sister questioningly. "What are you talking about?" he demanded "You're clearly outmatched!" Just as he had finished his sentence, he realized his sister was looking at something... something behind him. He slowly turned his head, peering over his shoulder.

"Father!" Zuko exclaimed, eyes wide, as his father stood behind he and his allies. Iroh, Aang, and his friends all turned to look at Ozai, each just as surprised as Zuko.

"Father…" Azula bowed before her father, "Look who I've brought," she exclaimed proudly. Zuko turned back to his sister, steam rolling off his shoulders as he fumed with anger. Azula merely smiled mockingly at him.

"I thought I banished you two. You're both a disgrace to the fire nation, and the family name," Ozai bellowed, his eyes red with anger as he glared in Iroh's direction.

Aang glanced at Katara, whispering, "I'm not ready!" Katara looked around worriedly.

"We've got to get out of here," she whispered, knowing well that they would not stand a chance against the fire lord and his army that was soon to arrive.

"You never should have come back here," Ozai growled, raising his hand in front of him. Zuko yelled in horror as realization hit him too late. In one fluid motion, Ozai aimed his index and middle fingers at Iroh's heart, releasing a huge bolt of blue, lightning-like, fire.

Zuko felt his ears ring as the blast made a direct hit. He rushed to his uncle's, but was too late to do anything. He held Iroh in his arms, his head spinning with emotions. His father had killed his own brother… Zuko's uncle… his mentor. Katara ran to Iroh's side as everyone else watched in awe.

"He's dead," Toph whispered to Aang and Sokka, her face sullen.

"Are you sure?" Sokka asked quietly. Toph nodded, wondering whether they should tell Zuko or Katara.

"Zuko, please let me try to help," Katara begged, placing a hand on Iroh's chest.

Zuko looked up into Katara's eyes, and she gasped softly when she realized his eyes were filled with such pain and terror. He did nothing to stop her as she bended water from her pouch at her side and placed both hands on Iroh's chest. Time seemed to pass slowly for a few moments as everyone seemed shocked, with the exception of Azula who was smiling cynically, and Ozai who was still infuriated with his son.

Katara was surprised when her brother suddenly showed up, grabbing her by the arm and tugging. "We've got to get out of here Katara!" he exclaimed, "We can't do this now! If we lose Aang, the earth is done for!"

"We can't just leave them," Katara whimpered, looking at Iroh and Zuko. Sokka glanced behind him as Appa landed on the ship, Toph climbing onto his saddle.

"Hurry up guys!" Toph yelled.

Aang leapt into the air and released a huge gust of wind, knocking down Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and Ozai. "Hurry!" He hollered as he jumped onto Appa.

Katara lightly pulled on Zuko's sleeve while Sokka still tugged at her arm. "Please come with us," she pleaded, "I might still be able to save him." Zuko reluctantly gave in, taking his uncle into his arms and climbing aboard Appa. Katara and Sokka joined the rest, but realized Ozai and Azula were back to their feet, ready to attack. Before either could attack, Appa turned and slammed his tail to the floor of the ship, knocking the two over again and sending Ty Lee and Mai crashing overboard into the shallow water.

"Appa! Yip yip!" Aang exclaimed, and with that Appa took off into the air, flying directly away from the fire nation.


	6. Chapter 5

As the fire nation shore fell out of the line of sight, Katara continued to attempt to heal Iroh. Toph looked blankly into the distant sky, trying hard to hide her tears. She knew Iroh was gone for good, but she couldn't stand to tell Katara and Zuko. Sokka noticed Toph's expression and placed his hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her.

Zuko watched intently as Katara tried her hardest to heal Iroh. Katara felt his eyes on her and steadily her heart sank as she realized her efforts were futile. She continued despite the realization, fearing everyone's reaction, namely Zuko's. When she glanced up and noticed the emotion in Zuko's normally livid yellow eyes, she couldn't stand it anymore. She burst into tears, removing her hands from Iroh's lifeless body. "I'm so sorry Zuko! I… I can't… I can't do anything," she wept, tears now flowing freely from her eyes. Aang came closer to Katara to comfort her, but as Zuko looked up, he sat still. "I'm so sorry," Katara continued to weep, feeling helpless, "I tried. I really tried."

Sokka and Aang tensed, fearing Zuko's response to the loss. For a moment nobody moved or said anything while Zuko stared blankly at Katara. Aang began to worry that Zuko might harm Katara, but was surprised when Zuko whispered to Katara, his voice shaky and ragged, "It's alright. Thank you… for trying."

Katara was surprised by the response, and sniffled as she looked into Zuko's eyes. He didn't appear angry, just hurt. When Katara noticed his eyes become slightly damp, she felt a wave of sympathy for him. He really wasn't a bad person. He might be prince of the nation that raged war on the peaceful people, but he clearly had feelings just like everyone else. She noticed his hand touching Iroh's arm, and wondered if she would be pushing her limits if she touched his hand. Knowing he was already acting much different than usual, she decided to go for it.

When Zuko felt Katara's hand touch his own, he felt surprisingly at ease. He envisioned his mother sitting before him, holding his hand to comfort him. Why was the water bender's touch making him feel this way, he wondered. He stared into her azure eyes and she returned the gaze. The two of them gazed into each others eyes in silence until Sokka abruptly snapped his fingers between them.

"Snap out of it guys!" Sokka demanded. Startled, Katara took her hand away from Zuko's and turned away, blushing slightly. Zuko looked down at his hand, which was still resting on Iroh's arm. Aang noticed Katara's blush and felt a touch of jealousy.

* * *

After finding safe land, not far from the fire nation, Aang guided Appa down to the ground. "This should be far enough for now," he stated as he hopped off Appa. He reached up a hand to Katara, offering assistance in her descent. He smiled kindly as she took his hand and allowed him to help her down to the ground. The others jumped down on their own, Zuko carrying his uncle down with him.

"It'll be getting dark soon. We should probably set up camp," Katara suggested while observing the dusky sky. She glanced over to Zuko as he laid Iroh's lifeless body on the soft ground near a small river behind them. She could feel a lump form in her throat, wanting so badly to say something comforting, to apologize again for being incapable of healing Iroh. Knowing there was nothing more she could possibly do or say to make the situation any better for Zuko, she merely watched him silently.

His back still turned to the others, Zuko spoke softly, his voice breaking between words, "Leave me alone for a while… please."

"We will set up camp, and come back for you later," Sokka replied, though not very sincere in his last words. After hearing no response from Zuko, Sokka took off, with the rest of the group following behind.

Katara looked back over her shoulder, watching Zuko as he knelt in the grass beside his beloved uncle. Despite all the terrible things Zuko had put her and her friends through, she still felt sympathy for him. Not only had he lost his mother, now his uncle too had been taken by the hands of the fire nation.

Katara's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as she walked right into a tree in her path. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot on her shoulder.

Toph snickered, mocking Katara's blunder. "I'm blind, but even I saw that tree!" she taunted. Aang joined in the laughter, while Sokka only shook his head in dissatisfaction.

* * *

After arriving to a small clearing within the trees, Aang paused and took a quick look around at the surroundings. "This should be a good spot!"

"I say we just hop on Appa and high-tail it out of here now, while Zuko's distracted," Sokka exclaimed.

Katara stood in front of her brother, her hands on her hips in disgust. "We can't just leave Zuko like this! Not after what he went through today!"

"Since when do you care about him?" Sokka demanded.

"Yeah!" Aang piped up, his mind playing back the scene where he had found Zuko and Katara together in the catacombs.

"I never said I care about him," Katara replied defensively.

Toph stepped into the middle of the three, clearly agitated. "Be quiet! All of you! I'm tired, so let's just set up camp here and go to bed!"

"Toph is right," Katara replied calmly, "We all need to just get some rest."

In agreement with Katara and Toph, Aang and Sokka began removing their supplies from Appa's saddle.

* * *

Not able to keep Zuko off her mind, Katara came up with an excuse to go looking for him. She took her water flask from her side and hid it in the folds of her waistband. ""I must have dropped my flask when I ran into that tree earlier. I'm going to go look for it," she announced, wanting to smack herself for sounding so stupid.

"I'll help!" Aang chimed, immediately leaving his work to assist Katara.

"Uhh… actually I think I'll be fine on my own. I'm pretty sure I know where it is," Katara insisted, waving her hands in front of her.

Aang's smile quickly faded at her rejection. "OK," he replied glumly and returned to helping Sokka set up a fire.

Katara laughed to herself as she hustled off towards Zuko, surprised they had fallen for her poor excuse. Little did she know, Toph was well aware of Katara's true intentions.

* * *

When Katara had reached a point close enough to view Zuko, she crouched down behind a bush and peered out towards the river.

Zuko was standing near the waters edge, facing what Katara made out to be a small makeshift raft, which held Iroh's dead body. She watched in silence as Zuko lifted a hand, releasing a small flash of fire at the raft. She crouched there for some time, watching Zuko and the raft that was now engulfed in flames and slowly floating away. She wished she could see Zuko's face, wondering if he was crying.

Katara's heart jumped when Zuko suddenly turned towards her. She immediately ducked lower to the ground, praying he had not spotted her spying on him. She shrieked loudly when Zuko appeared above her, startling her yet again. She jumped to her feet and brushed herself off, smiling uncomfortably. "Oh, hi Zuko… I came to tell you camp is set up." She couldn't think of anything to say to cover up her mistake. Luckily, he did not reply. His face was sullen, almost hateful. She decided not to say anything, and led him to their site in silence.

* * *

Zuko sat by the dying fire while the others slept inside their tents. As Katara was heading for her tent, she noticed Zuko sitting there alone and silent. She walked up beside him, looking down at him sorrowfully. Is there anything I can do for you Zuko?" she asked quietly, trying not to disturb Toph's sensitive hearing.

"No," Zuko replied coldly.

Katara sighed and sauntered back to her tent, deciding maybe it would be best if she just left Zuko alone, to give him time to think. She lay down in her sleeping bag, eventually drifting off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

_AN: I just want to say thanks to all who have reviewed my story thus far. Hope you enjoy the rest!_

* * *

Katara awoke early the next morning, just as the sun was rising, feeling it would be the ideal time for her to bathe in the nearby river. She slowly crept out of her tent and peered around, making sure everyone was still sound asleep. She saw Zuko lying in the grass in the same spot she'd found him last night. He appeared to be sleeping, but she couldn't imagine how he could sleep in such an uncomfortable position with no blankets. As she was walking away, she hadn't noticed Zuko starting to convulse violently on the ground.

* * *

Zuko found himself in a terrible nightmare. His father and sister had killed his uncle and were coming after him. He was a young boy and was running away, looking for his mother. He thought he saw her and called out for her help. As he reached who he thought was his mother, he was terrified as the figure spun around with the face of Azula. He gasped and fell backwards, onto the ground. When he turned to scramble in the opposite direction he found his father's infuriated face glaring down at him.

Zuko suddenly awoke and found himself covered in sweat. He sat up and peered around, licking his dry lips. He rubbed his head, feeling woozy and parched. Deciding he needed a drink of cool water he arose, and after assuring himself that everyone must still be asleep, he staggered towards a river he had seen nearby the other day.

As Zuko got close to the river, he heard a faint sound of splashing past the trees. His thirst and delirium overrode his judgment and he carelessly stumbled out into the clearing. He was surprised to find the water bender standing in the river, her wet hair running down her back and shoulders. Before he could open his mouth to ask her what she was doing, he realized she was bathing… nude. He felt his cheeks flush and his fever peaked, weakening his legs.

* * *

Katara gasped and spun around in the water when she heard something rustle behind her. She was shocked and confused when she saw Zuko lying sprawled out in the grass. "Zuko!" she exclaimed, not sure if she should be mad, embarrassed, or concerned. When Zuko didn't respond, she swam to the river's edge, scooping up her clothes and quickly slipping into them. She cautiously approached Zuko. His head was turned away from her and she really began to worry when she knelt down beside him and there was still no response from him.

"Zuko," Katara spoke out again, placing a hand gently on Zuko's arm. She gasped when she felt his arm burning and trembling beneath her hand. She turned his head towards her. His eyes were half lidded and sweat rolled down his face. He attempted to reach his other arm out to grasp Katara's arm, but startled her and she jumped back.

"Water," Zuko choked out, letting his arm fall back to the ground again.

Katara gathered herself and stood up, walking back to the river were she filled her flask with water. She knelt back down beside Zuko, still feeling a bit unsure, and lifted his head, placing the flask of water to his lips. He drank it thirstily, and as if it had done nothing to quench him, he demanded more.

Katara filled the flask again, and as he drank she used her bending to move some of the water from the river to her hand. She rubbed her water encircled hand gently across Zuko's forehead, cooling and calming him. For what seemed to her like an eternity, she silently watched him drink from her flask.

* * *

When Zuko's fever had subsided, he sat up, startling Katara. He cleared his throat, still feeling dry mouthed. He started down at the ground, feeling somewhat embarrassed that Katara had seen him in such a weakened state.

"You're upset about your uncle aren't you?" Katara whispered from her spot on the ground across form Zuko. "I know it probably doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry. We're all sorry. I wish there had been something we could have done," she continued, knowing that despite the lack of verbal response, Zuko was listening to her. "The fire nation is terrible… even to their own kind." She noticed Zuko cringe at her last statement. "I'm sorry. I guess it's not your fault you were born into all this." Feeling like she was only making things worse, she looked away, gazing out at the moon's reflection in the river.

"Thank you," Zuko whispered hoarsely.

"What?" Katara questioned in surprise. She turned back to Zuko and found herself locked into a gaze with his golden eyes. She blushed slightly. She wondered why her thoughts were suddenly clouded with the rash conception that Zuko had beautiful eyes. She felt her cheeks flush and looked down at her lap, praying Zuko hadn't noticed, though he had been looking right at her. Then her mind went back to the moment earlier when she had discovered Zuko had seen her bathing. She blushed deeper and stood up, facing the trees that led back to the campsite. "We should get back," she choked out. "Will you be OK?" she asked without looking back at Zuko.

"Yes," Zuko replied, his voice still hoarse. He stared up at Katara, her back turned to him. He had seen her reaction, and was somewhat flattered, but he wasn't about to say anything.

"Goodnight," Katara whispered and hurriedly took off through the trees.

* * *

When Katara got back to her tent, she flopped down on her sleeping bag and let out a deep sigh. She rolled on her side and closed her eyes. Try as she might she couldn't get to sleep. For some reason the picture of Zuko's face just wouldn't escape her mind. She wasn't completely sure why, but she did have an idea. After forcing herself to think about all the things Zuko had put her and her friends through, she quickly pushed aside her strange thoughts, and eventually drifted off to sleep again. 


	8. Chapter 7

Toph felt a slight disturbance on the ground where she lay. She had been awake for some time now. Katara's footsteps had rudely woken her early that morning, and she found herself overly curious when she noticed Zuko's footsteps follow shortly after Katara's. Now, she sat up, alarmed for a moment at the feeling of somebody approaching. When she realized that it was Katara returning, she relaxed and lay back down. She had a slight sense that something was wrong with Katara, but was quick to brush the feeling aside. She was surprised though when only a few moments later she felt Zuko walk past her earth tent. She wondered what the two could have been doing. She listened closely and placed her hands flat on the ground at her sides. She could sense Zuko was a bit tense as well. A smile crept across her face as she realized why the two were probably so tense.

Toph's thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted when Aang began shouting.

"Azula found us!" Aang yelled, startling everyone else.

Toph sat up and slammed her earth tent back into the ground where it had come from.

"What are you talking about twinkle toes? I can't sense anything," she exclaimed in annoyance.

Aang stood in front of Toph and cried out, "I'm serious! I can see the boat in the river just past the forest." He pointed towards the river that Katara and Zuko had visited earlier, as if Toph could see what he was talking about.

By this time Katara and Sokka were out of their tents and Zuko stood alert and ready to take action. Sokka rubbed his eyes groggily and slouched over as if he could fall any second.

"Can't we just go back to sleep. I mean, it's not like they know we're here," Sokka pleaded.

As if with perfect timing, a flaming ball came hurdling over the trees and smashed down on the tent that lie directly next to Sokka. Katara let out a scream in surprise and jumped back.

"OK. Maybe they do know we're here," Sokka stated plainly and stared down at the burning pile beside him.

Aang jumped onto Appa and motioned for everyone else to get on.

After gathering as much as they could, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Katara joined Aang on Appa's back. They stared down over the sides of the furry flying bison as they took off over the trees.

Katara noticed that the ship had stopped beside the edge of the river. She squinted as she searched across the deck of the ship for the enemy.

"Where are they?" she asked aloud, "I don't think they're on the ship anymore."

"Down there," Sokka exclaimed as he pointed directly below them.

Katara shifted her view to the direction her brother pointed and sure enough, there was Azula and her right hand girls riding their large lizard-like creatures.

"Aang! We need to fly to the other side of the river!" Katara exclaimed.

"But those things can just run across the water, remember?" Sokka argued.

"Well, we've got to try something," Katara replied, "Maybe they will lose track of us in the forest."

"Katara's right. We've got to try something," Aang said, pulling Appa's reins and steering him towards the river.

The gang watched behind them as they passed over the thick forest of trees. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were soon out of sight, but everyone remained on edge.

As Appa flew over the clearing just before the river, everyone sighed in relief as there was no sight of Azula.

"See Sokka," Katara stated smugly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sokka grumbled. "That doesn't mean they're gone for good. We need to book it out of here."

"They're back on the ship!" Zuko hollered from his seat towards the back of Appa.

"What?" Katara exclaimed and scooted to the back to peer down the river. "Oh no!" she cried out as she watched the ship catch up almost instantly. "They're going to fire at us Aang!" she cried out when she noticed the men on the deck of the ship load their catapults with flaming masses.

Aang attempted to maneuver Appa and his friends through the blasts that soon followed, but Appa was too big a target to avoid.

One of the flaming spheres struck Appa's belly and he howled in pain. As Appa tipped from the blast, Katara and Zuko were sent over the edge.

"Katara!" Aang cried out and pulled on Appa's reins. He soared down towards his plummeting friends, but the further down they went, the more the blasts distressed Appa.

"Aang! Just leave them! We have got to try to get out of here!" Sokka hollered. "Azula is after you! She won't go after Katara! Let's try to save ourselves! We can come back when it's safe!"

"You're kidding me right?" Aang snapped.

"Aang just listen to Sokka," Toph demanded.

The three of them toppled over as another blast struck Appa. Appa growled again in pain and distress. Aang finally gave up and instructed Appa to fly back up into the sky. He peered down sadly as he watched Katara and Zuko fall into the river below. When Azula's ship passed the two of them without taking any notice, Aang felt slightly relieved and continued to fly Appa to safety.

* * *

Katara thanked her heritage for the gift of water bending. Had she not possessed the skill, her fall into the river may have been terribly painful. As she brought her head to the surface of the water she watched in fear as Azula's ship passed only a few yards away. She was surprised though, when Azula did not even glance at her. She stared at her face until they passed, just waiting for one of the girls to come after her. "Did she not see me?" Katara asked herself out loud.

When Katara suddenly remembered that Zuko had been knocked off as well she began searching the river for him. She spotted his body floating face down several feet away from her. She used her water bending to flip him over and move him beside her. Once he was close enough she lifted him out of the water and onto land. She could tell he was still alive. He had probably just had the wind knocked out of him from the fall. She glanced up into the sky for a moment, catching a glimpse of flying bison before he was completely out of sight. She was relieved that Aang had decided to go on without her. She knew it would be better if they just continued on, but she still felt a bit worried.

Katara's attention was drawn back to Zuko when he started sputtering. She glanced down at him and cringed when he spat water in her face. She wiped the back of her hand across her face. Zuko opened his eyes and stared up at Katara, somewhat bewildered.

"Are you alright?" Katara questioned.

Zuko sat up and glanced around. After coming to his senses and recalling the events that had just taken place, he finally responded gruffly, "Yeah."

As Katara and Zuko stood, they peered down the river, checking once more to reassure themselves that the enemies were long gone.

"Well, I suppose we should get moving," Katara stated as she wrung the water out of her clothes. Zuko looked away in silence, uninterested in speaking.

* * *

Katara and Zuko walked aimlessly without speaking for quite sometime before coming to a clearing in the woods. Katara plopped down on a large boulder in the middle of the clearing. She sighed and stared down at her feet. She wanted to speak, but she knew Zuko was not the conversational type. She felt slightly uneasy when Zuko sat down beside her, on the ground with his back against the rock she sat upon. She wasn't too sure why, but his nearness made her a bit uncomfortable. Katara gazed down at Zuko's head. All she could see from her angle was the hair on Zuko's head, but she felt drawn to just gaze at it.

Before Katara knew it, her hand had unconsciously made its way to Zuko's hair. At first she was surprised by the fact that she was touching anything on Zuko, but she was quickly just as surprised at how soft his dark hair felt when she ran her fingers through it. When Zuko tilted back his head to look up at her, she quickly drew her hand back and turned her head, trying to hide the blush that burned in her cheeks. "I thought I saw something in your hair!" she exclaimed, trying to cover her embarrassment.

Katara wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and stared up into the sky. The sun was shining full force almost directly above her. "I can't stand this heat," she complained.

"It doesn't bother me," Zuko mumbled dryly.

Katara glared down at him, finding his response unnecessary. "Well, I'm not hot-headed, I mean hot-blooded like you fire nation people," she replied in annoyance. She couldn't see his face, but she was sure he caught her drift.

"Obviously," Zuko sneered.

Katara jumped to her feet. "What? What is that supposed to mean? What are you trying to say?" she demanded.

Zuko just chuckled, still not looking at Katara. This only infuriated her more.

"I asked you a question!" Katara retorted. There was still no response from Zuko. "You are such a jerk Zuko!" She let out a frustrated noise of disgust and threw her hands in the air.

Zuko snickered to himself as Katara stomped off waving her hands about erratically while grumbling nonsense amongst herself.


	9. Chapter 8

_AN: Thanks again to those who have read and reviewed my story!! It makes me very happy to see others enjoy my writing!!!_

* * *

It was getting dark now, and Katara had not seen any sign of her friends. She had not seen Zuko either since she had stormed off earlier that day. She had actually hoped he would follow her, but she wasn't sure why she felt that way. She took a seat in the grass and stared up into the night sky. The moon shone brightly in the sky, and she remembered Yue. She felt sorry for her brother, and at the same time she felt lonely. Katara was young, but she was certainly old enough to be interested in the opposite sex. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier that day, before she had gotten upset with Zuko. She couldn't figure out why she had ran her fingers through his hair, or even more puzzling, why she liked doing so.

Katara's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the sound of a twig breaking behind her startled her. She sprung to her feet and spun around, her flask in hand and open. At first her eyes only registered a dark figure before her. She formed a water whip, ready to attack the intruder. She took a step back as the figure moved towards her. As the figure stepped into the moonlight, Katara released a sigh of relief when she realized it was Zuko.

"You scared me!" Katara griped, putting her water back into the flask it came from. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," Zuko muttered hoarsely.

Katara sighed again, and stared at Zuko's face, trying to read his expression in the dark. "What have you been up to all day?" she questioned, crossing her arms across her chest impatiently.

"Looking for you," Zuko replied dryly.

That had not been the answer Katara was expecting, and all she could manage for a response was, "Oh." She looked away from him now, feeling a bit guilty for being so rude. "Well, I don't know about you, but I haven't eaten anything. I'm pretty hungry," she spoke softly.

"Yeah," Zuko mumbled almost unresponsively.

Katara wasn't sure if his response meant that he was hungry or if he was just giving her some response to keep her quiet. She decided to go with the idea that he was hungry as well, considering he was likely not a decent gatherer of food. "Well, I guess let's go try to find something," she suggested.

As Katara and Zuko wandered off in search of food, Zuko's silence was starting to get to Katara again. Just as she was about to speak, she was surprised when Zuko started before her.

"I'm tired of this," Zuko growled, "I need food now!" He reached for his stomach as it growled just as demandingly as his voice.

Katara tried to control her temper. She was happy that he had broken the silence, but demands weren't exactly what she had hoped to hear from him. "Fine! Why don't you go that way and look for food and I'll go elsewhere!" she demanded as she pointed in some random direction for Zuko to follow. Zuko glared in response to her demands, but took off anyway, grumbling to himself as he went.

Katara let out a small sigh of relief as she watched the fire prince disappear into the woods. She started to wonder if she should not have sent him off by himself. It was completely dark out now and she feared they wouldn't find each other in the unfamiliar territory. Feeling suddenly very uneasy, she decided to enter the woods fairly close to where Zuko had gone, in hopes that they would not drift too far apart.

* * *

Not too long after Katara had begun her search for food, she came across a large bush full of bright red berries. Her stomach growled fiercely at the sight of the juicy berries. She crouched down to get a closer look at what she hoped to be a potential source of nutrient. The berries looked familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She plucked one off the bush and cautiously tore it open. Red juices dripped down her fingers and she stared hungrily. After smelling the berry and deciding it smelled safe, she licked the juice off one of her fingers. Her eyes closed as she drank in the sweet taste. Feeling she may perish any moment from starvation, she began stuffing her mouth with as many berries as she possibly could.

Katara stopped her intake of berries when she noticed a strange feeling coming over her. She found herself a bit light-headed and when she tried to stand up, her balance was off. She giggled to herself, but stopped suddenly and covered her mouth when she realized what was happening. She looked down at the berries and remembered where she had seen those berries before. Her grandmother had told her of these berries and how the men used them to make drinks that left them feeling relaxed and tipsy. After a moment of thought, she smiled deviously at the idea that had popped into her had. She quickly gathered as many berries as she could fit into the front of her dress. After gathering all she could, she took off towards the clearing where she had been with Zuko earlier.

When Katara arrived at her destination, she was surprised to find Zuko was already there, sitting cross-legged in the grass with his back to her.

"What did you find?" Katara questioned as she approached Zuko.

"Nothing," Zuko replied harshly.

Katara rolled her eyes and took a seat in the grass in front of him. She opened up her bundle of berries and laid them out between Zuko and herself. "I found these," she whispered, trying to hide her laughter, "They're really good." She watched Zuko intently, praying he wouldn't catch on to what she was up to.

Zuko did not respond, but neither did he hesitate to inhale the berries that lay before him. Katara continued to watch him closely, hoping that the berries could calm him, and maybe make him a bit more pleasant to be around. She took her water flask from her side and set it down in front of Zuko. He looked at her oddly for a moment, then took the flask and polished off the remaining water.

"I'll go get some more water," Katara stated as she took her empty flask from Zuko's hands. She watched behind her as she strolled off, surprised the berries had not affected Zuko at all yet, or at least it did not seem they had.

When Katara came back only a few minutes later, she noticed that Zuko was missing, as well as all the berries. "Zuko?" she called out cautiously. She stood still for a moment, listening closely for a response or some sort of noise. When there was no sound of response, she began feeling panicky. Her thoughts became erratic as she worried that Azula had possibly come back and Zuko was too drunken from the berries to defend himself. When she heard the snap of a twig, she ran behind a nearby tree and peered around, expecting the enemy at any moment. Her heart was racing madly. She knew there was no way she could take on Azula and her henchmen by herself, but she opened her flask anyway in preparation.

Katara screamed in surprise and horror when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She spun around and was even more surprised to find Zuko standing there, smiling at her smugly. She put her flask away and held a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself. Zuko's hand was now pressed against the tree, just above her shoulder. She backed herself against the tree further when she noticed the strange look on Zuko's face.

"A bit jumpy, aren't you?" Zuko whispered, bringing his face closer to Katara's.

Katara noticed that Zuko's usual raspy voice was more husky than usual, and he was so close to her now that she could feel the heat of his breath against her neck. She began to feel intensely uncomfortable as she stared up into Zuko's half-lidded golden eyes. She was certain this was the work of the berries, but this had not quite been the results she was expecting, or hoping for.

Zuko continued smirking down at Katara as he spoke, "I just wanted to say thanks for those delicious berries you brought me." His words were slurred and his voice deep. Had Katara not been so overwhelmed at the moment, she might have found his tone to be rather attractive.

Katara became frozen in shock when Zuko unexpectedly placed his free hand on the side of her face and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. His kiss lasted only for a brief moment, but it felt like an eternity for Katara. She could feel his hot breath escape through her partially parted lips. When he had finally pulled away, still smiling down at her, she could only stare in awe. Luckily for her, she did not have to say anything. Zuko apparently had lost his senses completely, and he collapsed to the ground, passed out. Katara gazed down at him for a short while, still unsure what to make of the entire situation.

After regaining her composure, Katara knelt down and took Zuko into her arms, carrying Zuko to a safer spot in the woods and quickly threw together a bed out of what little she could find. She laid the passed out fire nation prince out on a bed of leaves and grass and took a seat against a rock across from him. Her eyes never left him as her head filled with questions. She knew very well that the berries were what caused him to act as he had, but what she wasn't sure about was whether or not those were his true feelings for her. "Yeah right," she chuckled aloud to herself.

A sudden recollection popped into Katara's head as she pulled some leaves together in a pile in the grass. She remembered the fortuneteller Aunt Wu, whom she had met quite some time ago. 'You will marry a very powerful bender,' she had said. Her words echoed in Katara's mind. She gazed at Zuko, the prince of the fire nation… one of the most powerful fire benders. She laughed aloud again, finding such an idea utterly foolish. As she lay her head on the leaf pile she had made as a pillow, she gently touched her fingers to her lips and thought of the moment she shared with Zuko. A soft smile swept across her face as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 9

When Katara woke the next morning, she felt surprisingly well rested. As she stretched her arms into the air, she noticed a strange sense of warmth. She glanced to her side and was surprised to find the smoldering remains of what must have been a fire. Knowing she had not made it, she peered over to where Zuko lie. From what she could tell, he was apparently still sleeping. Figuring he must have woken in the middle of the night and started a fire for her, she asked herself, 'Had Zuko actually done a selfless act?' She stood up and brushed herself off, trying to be as quiet as possible. She really wanted to just take off without waking Zuko, knowing the moment he woke up they'd both be horribly uncomfortable.

As luck would have it, Zuko sat up almost immediately after Katara took only one step. He rubbed his unscarred eye groggily and let out a beastly yawn. Katara tried to hold her composure, but she couldn't hide the blush that swept across her face as the fire nation prince stared up at her.

"Good morning," Katara greeted in a somewhat calm tone. She tried to smile her usual cheerful smile, but she was certain it must have looked silly.

"What's good about it?" Zuko responded harshly.

"Well, with your always cheerful attitude and sunshine smile, what's not to be happy about?" Katara retorted sarcastically, giving Zuko the most fake smile she could craft. Though his sour attitude was disheartening, she was relieved that she didn't have to deal with the uncomfortable events from the night prior. Zuko was certainly back to his normal ill mannered self, and had seemingly also forgotten said events. She really wanted to ask him about the fire, but opted not to ruin it for herself.

Katara thought she caught a glimpse of a small smirk on Zuko's face in response to her sarcasm. Shifting her tone back to serious, she suggested, "We need to find a safe village, with real shelter and food." Her face saddened as she thought about her brother and Aang. "I don't know how we're ever going to find Aang and the others," she murmured, more to herself than to Zuko.

Zuko got to his feet and replied, "If we still had my ship, that would not be a problem."

"Are you saying you would actually help us?" Katara questioned.

"No," was his simple answer, but Katara sensed he was lying. She was starting to think his bad attitude was only an act.

Katara followed Zuko, whom she had hoped knew where he was headed. Once again they traveled in what Katara found to be uncomfortable silence.


	11. Chapter 10

Eventually Zuko and Katara had found their way to a small village. As they entered the village, Katara instantly noted the poor conditions and unpleasant villagers. Though she and Zuko were not exactly well dressed or bursting with riches, they certainly stuck out in the crowd of ruffians. She could feel the eyes of the men on her and found herself walking closer to Zuko. "I think we should find somewhere different to stay," she whispered to Zuko as she peered around at the disturbing men who watched her with what she felt was too much interest.

"Its fine," Zuko replied as if he was unaffected by the unpleasant surroundings. "These peasants are nothing to worry about." He glanced around until he spotted a potential site to rest at. "Wait here. I'll get a place to stay," he stated simply and took off towards a small building with what looked to be a second floor for living quarters.

Katara glanced around uncomfortably, hoping to spot a place that looked somewhat friendly and clean. When she spotted a shop that appeared to be selling semi-decent food, she reached for her pocket to pull out the little remaining money she had. As she glanced back up from her pocket, she was surprised to find a group of scruffy men standing before her, smiling at her revoltingly. She forced a smile and attempted to walk past the men.

"What's a pretty little girl like you doing here?" one of the men asked, stepping in her path.

Katara tried to keep her cool and ignore the man, but as she tried to pass him, another man stepped out in front of her.

"Yeah, this is no place for a water tribe girl," the man taunted.

Katara cautiously reached for her water flask at her side, but paused when she recalled that Zuko had polished off all the water along their venture to the village. She glanced around at the men standing before her and suddenly realized that they were all in fire nation uniform. Her heart skipped a beat and she glanced behind her to the building where Zuko had wanderer towards. To her dismay, he was no where to be found. Her eyes quickly scanned the area for a source of water, but as luck would have it, the land was nothing but sand and rock, not an ounce of water in sight.

With no other option, Katara spun around, ready to bolt. She gasped as she found her face directly in front of a rather large man. She found it difficult to hide her fear as she gazed up at the man who smiled greedily back down at her.

"We could make a fortune on this one," the burly man muttered to his cohorts. As he lifted one of his grubby hands to grab Katara, she swiftly brought her knee up to his groin, sending him groaning to the ground.

"You little wench!" one of the other men hollered. Katara turned again, praying she would be capable of defending herself without the use of her bending.

Before then other men could attack her, Katara heard a familiar voice come from behind her.

"Are you men so weak that you must take on a little girl?" Zuko taunted as he came to stand beside Katara. He glanced down at the man whom Katara had injured. "Actually, it looks to me like the girl was the one prevailing. How pathetic."

"You've got a lot of nerve kid, talking to us that way," one man replied, taking a step closer to Zuko and Katara. "We were going to just sell the girl, not hurt her, but now that you've angered me, I think we'll rough her up a bit."

Zuko stepped protectively in front of Katara, bringing his face directly in front of the other man's. "I'll make you regret the day you were born," he growled, almost inaudibly.

"Don't threaten me!" the man spat back in Zuko's face, "Unless you want a matching scar for your other eye!"

As Zuko and one of the men challenged each other, Katara eyed the others cautiously. The man whom she had kneed earlier was still lying on the ground in agony. Had her current situation not been so threatening, she might have actually found it humorous that the massive man was such a pansy. She did notice, however, that Zuko was defending her. Apparently, Zuko was not as much of a cold-hearted jerk as she had previously assumed. Her attention was drawn away from the men when she heard a woman yelling from a food stand not far from where they stood.

"HEY! You idiots better not start a fight here! I'll call the commander out here and have all of you beaten and thrown away!" The woman hollered while waving her fists threateningly.

Katara gently tugged at Zuko's sleeve. "Let's go. We don't want to bring anymore attention to ourselves. If anyone here finds out who we are, especially who you are, there'll be nothing we can do," she whispered. "I can't water bend, and I know you won't stand a chance alone, especially if Azula and her crazy minions show up."

To Katara's surprise, Zuko backed off and turned to walk away.

The man whom Zuko had confronted laughed tauntingly. "That's right you little babies, run away."

Zuko stopped dead in his tracks, his blood boiling. Katara sensed his heated anger and pleaded with him, "Please Zuko, they're not worth it." She pulled again on Zuko's sleeve, and he allowed her to guide him away. She looked over her shoulder, glaring at the men behind her as they laughed childishly.

"So did you find us a place to stay?" Katara questioned as they approached the small shop Zuko had come from when he spotted Katara was in danger.

"That filthy peasant told me I did not have enough money!" Zuko hollered, pointing a finger accusingly towards the shop window.

Katara rolled her eyes. "Well did you try offering your services to the man?"

Zuko looked utterly appalled by Katara's question. "Why should I work for him? For anyone?" he demanded.

Katara stopped and turned to face Zuko, her hands resting on her hips. "Zuko! Be realistic! Nobody here knows or cares that you are the Fire Nation Prince! Besides, you've been banished, and banished Princes don't exactly get the royal treatment!" A sudden feeling of regret swept over her after she spoke the last sentence. Zuko's angered expression immediately transformed to hurt. Katara's voice softened as she spoke, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." She took a quick look around, feeling awkward.

Katara spotted a large empty sack lying beside the tea shop, which gave her an idea. "I have a plan. Wait right here!" She took off, leaving Zuko standing puzzled. She snatched up the sack and ran around to the back of the shop, out of the publics view.


	12. Chapter 11

_AN: Sorry if my chapters are short. I have little time to write between work, school, and responsibilities at home. Thanks, as always, to those who leave me reviews!! Each one makes me so happy!!!_

* * *

When Katara came back around to the front of the tea shop, Zuko was surprised to see her stomach was now rather bulky. "Is that…?" he began to question, unsure of what he really wanted to ask, or what Katara was trying to pull off. 

"How do I look?" Katara posed, turning one side to Zuko, then the other, while wearing a large goofy smile on her face.

"Ridiculous," Zuko replied dismally.

"Ridiculously pregnant?" Katara suggested, rubbing her hand in small circles around her bulging tummy.

Zuko stood silent for a brief moment, struggling, but failing to figure out what she was up to. "Yes, but why?"

"Great!" With that, Katara snatched Zuko's hand into her own and pulled him into the tea shop. As they entered, the man behind the counter shot an angry look in their direction.

The man set down the tea pot he had in hand, as if ready to use physical force to remove Zuko from the premises. "I thought I told you to stay out of here! Your money is no good here!" When Katara walked hand in hand with Zuko up to the counter, the mans expression changed.

"Please Sir," Katara began, putting on her best helpless look, "I'm 6 months pregnant, and my husband and I have lost our home. We have no place to stay… no place to bear our child." She summoned up a few small tears, trying to look desperate. "My husband is a great tea maker! He'd be more than willing to offer you his services." Katara could feel Zuko's hand almost crush her own after her last remark. She removed her hand from his, fearing he may burn it in his rage.

Thankfully for Katara, before Zuko could blow his top, the shop owner let out a loud sigh. "Alright. There is a small room upstairs. You may stay, but only if this mans tea is as good as you claim it to be."

Katara tried to hide her self satisfaction, and managed to release only a soft smile. "Thank you Sir. You are too kind. I promise we won't be long, and my husband will provide you with great profit!"

"He'd better," the man replied threateningly. "The stairs are behind the door in the back corner." He pointed behind him to a small door tucked away in the corner. "I'll expect your mouthy husband down to work first thing tomorrow morning. There is a small washbasin in the room, but you'll have to get your water from the pump further in the village. But don't expect me to provide you with supplies. You'll have to beg elsewhere for that."

Katara curtsied in thanks once more before taking off with the Zuko.

When Katara opened the door at the top of the stairs, she was disappointed to find that the only other furnishings besides the washbasin were a very tiny bed and a small night stand with a lamp. "Well, beggars can't be choosers," Katara announced. As she took step towards the bed, she was startled when Zuko took hold of her wrist and spun her around to face him.

"How dare you just offer out my assistance to that peasant!" Zuko roared, tightening his grip on Katara's wrist.

Katara looked at the offensive hand that seized her wrist, and then abruptly yanked it free. "Cool it hot-pants! We had to do something, and clearly you weren't about to accomplish anything!"

Zuko released a small gust of fire and smoke from his nose, balling his fists at his sides. He growled in frustration before announcing his disgust, "I can't stand girls! They're so difficult!" He stomped over to the corner of the room like a bratty child, slumping down into a sitting position on the wooden floor.

Katara stifled a laugh as she watched Zuko's performance. He sat only a few feet away from her in the tiny room, as if it were far enough to hide from her. Not feeling the desire to add any more fuel to Zuko's fire, she opted to take a seat at the end of the bed, though keeping Zuko in her view. She could only watch in amusement as he sat there, pouting, and staring down at the floor beneath his feet. He was almost kind of cute like that.

After several moments of that unpleasant silence she always seemed to share with Zuko, Katara sighed, thinking the lack of Aang's company was getting to her. She averted her attention to the small window on the front wall. Fluffy white clouds rolled by in the sky, each taking their own unique shapes. She imagined Appa flying through the clouds and hovering before the window, carrying Aang, Toph, and her brother Sokka. Another sigh passed through her parted lips as she felt a yearning for someone to talk to. Her gaze drifted back to Zuko again, who was still staring at the floor. She wished Zuko would loosen up and talk to her, or at least pretend to have a slight interest in whatever she had to say. She started to wonder if he ever held a civilized conversation with anyone.

Zuko's scar unexpectedly caught Katara's eye. More questions arose in the back of her mind. Zuko had never really explained to her where the scar had come from. It was obviously from a fire bender, and from what he had told her, it was part of his banishment. As she continued to peer at his face, she noticed the skin on the right side of his face was quite smooth and pallid, with an almost innocent charm. She could tell by the expression on his face, something was bothering him, and it wasn't just 'girls'.

Realizing Zuko probably just needed some time alone to clear his mind, Katara decided now would be a good time to fetch some water. She too probably could use some time to gather her own thoughts. "I'm going to go fetch a few pails of water for the washbasin," she announced as she stood from her spot on the bed. Before opening the door to the stairs, she straightened and smoothed her makeshift belly.


	13. Chapter 12

Katara was grateful the men who had given her trouble earlier were no longer roaming about outside. She felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders as she came upon the pump the shop owner had mentioned. "What am I going to use to transport water?" she asked herself aloud. After surveying the surrounding villagers for a moment, she spotted a woman selling provisions, who appeared semi-friendly.

When Katara approached the stand, the woman gave her a once over, forcing a fake smile when she noted Katara's apparent pregnancy. "What can I get for you?" the women questioned.

Katara smiled sweetly, though not impressing the saleswoman. "Actually, I was hoping you might have a couple of empty pails I could borrow to transport water to my room."

The woman looked slightly annoyed. "Should you be doing that in your condition?"

The question caught Katara slightly off guard. "Oh… well…" she attempted to think of something, anything, to say to convince the woman to lend her something. "…I'm only going to fill them. My husband will come to pick them up."

Katara let out a quiet sigh of relief when the woman began searching for something behind the stand. When the woman turned back to Katara, she handed her two fairly large buckets.

"Don't push yourself. Your husband should be more of a man and not even let you fill these by yourself," the woman ranted, "If I were you I'd use my strength to beat him instead."

Katara forced a small laugh and nodded in response. "Thank you. I will bring them back shortly." She nodded in thanks and took off back to the pump.

* * *

While in the midst of bending the water from the pump into the second bucket, Katara felt the sudden presence of someone looming behind her. She ceased her water bending and spun around, startled to find Zuko standing right there. "Zuko! Seriously! You need to stop sneaking up on me like that!" she hollered. After collecting herself, she questioned him, "What are you doing here anyway? Is something wrong?"

"It's too dangerous here for you to be walking around here alone," Zuko replied as he bent down to pick up the two buckets.

Katara wasn't sure whether she should be offended that he had implied she was incapable of taking care of herself, or flattered that he was showing signs of compassion for her. She found her eyes drawn to his face again, and she thought for a moment she might have caught him smiling just slightly.

"You know, I could carry one of those," Katara suggested as Zuko lifted the water filled buckets, one in each hand. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off his face when she spoke. Luckily for her, Zuko turned before noticing her stare.

As usual, Zuko did not reply to Katara's statement, and merely began to walk back to the tea shop. Katara followed closely behind whilst scolding herself silently for staring at Zuko so intently. Feeling no desire to walk in their typical silence, she quickened her stride so that she walked along side Zuko. Before she could open her mouth to speak, the words slipped away when she noticed his grief-stricken expression. She fell back behind him in stride again, feeling defeated. She wanted so badly to get Zuko to open up to her… to tell her what was bothering him so much. Her breathes became slightly ragged as she fought back tears of frustration. Aang was so much easier to deal with than Zuko. All it ever took to cheer up Aang was simply to give him a warm hug. Unfortunately, she feared an action like that taken on Zuko may only cause more problems.

* * *

After arriving back at the room above the tea shop, Zuko set the pails of water beside the washbasin. He stood there for a moment in silence, until a sudden loud rumble erupted from his stomach.

"I take it you're hungry?" Katara questioned, laughing at the incredibly loud noise.

"Yes," Zuko replied, turning to face Katara while holding his stomach.

"Well, we don't have much money… But perhaps we can rely on our 'baby' here to persuade someone to sell us some food for dirt cheap." Katara rubbed her own belly as she spoke the word 'baby'. She though she heard a throaty chuckle come from Zuko, but shrugged it off as just another protest from his tummy. "Before those jerks started harassing me today, I noticed a shop selling some decent food. We better head over there now, before it's too late."

Zuko followed Katara down the stairs and out from behind the shop counter, ignoring the dirty looks coming from the owner. Katara snatched Zuko's hand up into her own, smiling sweetly at the shop owner as she and Zuko made their way to the exit.

Outside, Katara was somewhat surprised to find Zuko scowling at Katara's hand which was still holding his. She rolled her eyes in response to his immaturity. "You act as if you've never been with a young girl before."

"I have too been with a girl!" Zuko barked defensively.

Katara giggled, "I never said you hadn't. I only said you **act** as if you haven't!" She let go of Zuko's hand and placed her hands on her hips. "If you have been with a girl, then why do you act so disgusted when I merely pretend we have a relationship?!"

Zuko looked flabbergasted and at a loss for words at the same time. "You're not royalty or even the daughter of a nobleman! You're just a water tribe peasant!"

"Is that so?" Katara retorted, "So do you typically thank peasant girls with kisses late in the night?" She could have smacked herself for bringing up the events of the other night. She still wasn't even sure whether or not Zuko knew what he had done, though when she saw Zuko's face turn a bright hue of red, it was obvious that he remembered.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Zuko shot back in defense, "You poisoned me with those berries! I was not acting under my own will!

Katara let out a shrill, frustrated howl, throwing her hands in the air. "I did not 'poison' you! I gave you those berries to loosen your uptight attitude, but clearly, as you're demonstrating now, the only way to get you to talk is to point out something you don't like! Unfortunately I think I'd prefer your uptight silence over this childish bantering!"

Zuko appeared a bit surprised by Katara's outburst, and after taking a brief look around, he realized a small group of villagers had gathered to watch their spectacle.

Katara noticed Zuko's embarrassed expression as he looked away from her. She glanced around and also realized they were being watched attentively. A few onlookers looked concerned for Katara. She put a hand behind her head and laughed in embarrassment. "Silly husband, let's not argue about trivial things that happened so long ago!" she announced aloud for the spectators to hear. Again, she felt the urge to smack herself for sounding so foolish.

Katara snatched Zuko's hand, squeezing it painfully tight, as she pulled him to the food stand. She smiled a sickeningly sweet smile at the woman selling food. "Hi!" Katara exclaimed in an obviously forced cheerful tone. "We would like some of your cheapest fruits and vegetables please."

The woman leaned over her stand to whisper in Katara's ear, though Zuko, who stood directly next to Katara, could hear quite clearly. "I don't know how you can stand this man."

Katara laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, he has denial issues in the public, but privately he's the sweetest thing. Isn't that right sweetie?" She pinched Zuko's cheek, finding his rising anger to be ever so amusing.

"Let's just get the food and go," Zuko grumbled under his breath.

The woman behind the stand pulled out a piece of something both Katara and Zuko thought to be inedible. "This is the cheapest thing I've got. It's four copper pieces."

"Four copper pieces?!" Zuko hollered, flabbergasted at the idea of paying so much for such an undesirable item.

Katara's reaction was no different. "Are you serious? Four copper pieces for that? What is it? Is it even edible?"

The woman furrowed her brows and replied sternly, "Too much? Well good luck finding anything elsewhere!" She put the food back into its place in the stall and folded her arms across her chest.

Just as the woman had spoken, Katara heard a man's voice call out. "Get your fresh cabbages! Only two copper pieces!"

Katara spun around to discover a familiar man pushing a wooden cart chock full of fresh cabbages. She turned back to the woman who was clearly trying to rip them off with her disgusting offer of food. "Thanks anyways, but I think we'll go with him instead." The woman looked displeased with her lost sale as Katara and Zuko moved over to the cart of cabbages.

The man smiled happily at Katara when she approached him. "Would you two be interested in some of my cabbages? They're the best around!" As he took a closer look at Katara, his expression took a sudden change for the worse. "WAIT! I know you! You're the girl that hangs around with the bald kid who always ruins my cabbages!!! Stay away from my cabbages! You and your friends are a curse!"

Before Katara could defend herself, the man took off in the other direction, pushing his cart while yelling frantically, "Why… How… do you ALWAYS find me?!"

"WAIT! Sir, please! We just want to buy some cabbages!" Katara hollered after the man, but he was long gone. She turned to face Zuko, who looked utterly confused. Knowing what he must have been thinking, or rather, wondering, Katara shrugged her shoulders. "I think we've run into him a few times before… literally run into," she explained.

Katara glanced back over her shoulder to the woman at the food stand. She had pulled out the fruit she offered earlier and was smiling triumphantly. Katara let out a sigh and sauntered back to the woman, with Zuko following behind.

"Change your mind?" the woman taunted.

"Actually, we'd like your next cheapest item," Zuko replied.

The woman smiled and turned to grab a basket. She set the basket out on the counted in front of Katara and Zuko. "I have papayas for 6 coppers pieces each."

Katara groaned at the mere spoken word papaya. It was clearly not her day. That, or somebody really did not want her to eat today.

Before Katara could say thanks, but no thanks, Zuko spoke out. "We'll take three." He pulled out several coins and set them on the counter while the woman put three papayas in a small sack.

The woman smiled mockingly at Katara. "Pleasure doing business with you."

As Zuko and Katara walked away with their food, Katara scowled at the bag Zuko carried. "What a rip off!"

"At least it's edible," Zuko replied, though not too convinced either.


	14. Chapter 13

Back at their room, Zuko sat on the edge of the bed watching Katara clean the papayas at the basin a few feet in front of him.

Feeling no desire to stand around in silence, Katara decided to prod Zuko a bit. "So, you say you've been with a girl before. Do you have someone special back at the Fire Nation?" Fearing Zuko's reaction after a question like that, she remained with her back turned to him, her eyes on the food in her hands. She wasn't even sure why the question popped into her head. She didn't really expect an answer from him, at least not a pleasant one. He surprised her though, enough to cause her to forget how foolish the question had been.

"No. I was too young when I was banished. I wasn't interested in girls." Zuko replied softly.

Katara turned to face Zuko, and was surprised to find him looking directly at her. She wondered if he had been watching her like that the ever since they had arrived back at their room.

Before Katara could come up with something appropriate to reply with, Zuko blurted out, "Girls are nothing but trouble. They aren't worth my time." He turned away from Katara, a scowl now plastered across his face.

Katara let out a long sigh and set down the papayas she had been cleaning. She strode over to the bed, taking a seat beside Zuko. "I think you're basing your judgment of girls on the wrong person. Your sister Azula is certainly not a good example of how a girl acts. She's crazy, malicious, and conniving." She waited a moment for Zuko to respond, but when he didn't she turned her head to observe him. She noticed his hands were fidgeting in his lap, and his eyes were staring at her arm, which she now realized was in very close proximity with his. She wondered, was she making him uncomfortable? "Is that how you feel? Do you think all girls are crazy like your sister?"

"Yes!" Zuko replied, his voice cracking slightly.

Katara was certain now, that she was making him uncomfortable, as well as herself now. Yet, she kept prodding. "Is that how you feel about me?"

Not much could have surprised Katara more than her own question just had, except for Zuko's response.

"No! You're nothing like my cold-hearted sister. You're too gentle and altruistic." Zuko replied, looking directly into Katara's eyes.

Katara could feel a small bead of sweat form at the hairline across her forehead as she blushed profusely. Zuko's golden eyes almost burned into her own. He seemed so serious, and so… sincere. She found herself frozen as she watched Zuko slowly close his eyes and bring his face closer to hers. Before she had a moment to react, Zuko's lips were gently pressed against her own. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. She couldn't believe what she was doing… with the Fire Nation Prince, nor could she believe how good it felt. His kiss was so warm and sweet, like nothing she would have ever expected from him, though she never expected to even be in this situation. Though it was clear to her now, the berries she had given him the other night had nothing to do with the first kiss. It had been no accident.

Katara's thoughts suddenly shifted. She knew what she was doing couldn't be right… fraternizing with the enemy. If Aang found out what she was doing, he would be absolutely devastated. When a sudden image of Aang's hurt expression popped into her head, she pulled herself away from Zuko. "This is wrong Zuko! We can't be doing this." She had to force the words out, feeling overly embarrassed and confused. When she saw the pain in Zuko's eyes, it was almost worse than the image she had just envisioned of Aang.

Zuko's face suddenly twisted in anger. He leapt to his feet, glaring down at Katara. Steam rolled off his shoulder as he yelled, "This is exactly why I can't stand girls!"

"Zuko, I'm sorry," Katara whispered, but she was too late. Zuko stormed out of the room, burning through the door and leaving nothing behind but smoldering ashes. Katara stood up to chase after him, but convinced herself it was probably best if she just gave him some time alone to cool off. She took this time to remove her makeshift pregnant belly from under her robes and resumed preparing the papayas. She couldn't seem to keep her mind from running wildly with questions she didn't have answers to.

* * *

It was now completely dark outside, and Katara was beginning to worry about Zuko. She had spent the last several hours staring out the small window in her room, watching wanders pass through the village. She turned on the lamp sitting on the bedside table. Though she feared going out in the middle of the night alone, she feared what may happen to Zuko even more. With his short temper and pride, he was certain to get himself into trouble.

Just as Katara walked to the opening where the door had been, she was startled when Zuko suddenly appeared in front of her. She jumped back several feet, her heart nearly leaping from her chest. "Zuko! Do you always wait around until I'm least expecting you?"

Zuko gave Katara a strange look as he walked into the room. "What are you talking about?"

"You always sneak up on me," Katara replied after her heart beat returned to its normal pace.

"I do not," Zuko defended and made his way past Katara to the table where she had sat the remaining clean papayas. He picked one up without any hesitation and began devouring it.

"Your welcome for that," Katara huffed, putting both hands on her hips.

"For what?" Zuko asked with his mouth full.

"That papaya didn't clean itself you know," Katara replied.

"Obviously," Zuko spoke again with his mouth full. He tried to hide his smirk, knowing what Katara was expecting him to say. It was more amusing to see her angry.

Zuko apparently did not hide his smile well enough, because Katara spotted it right away. "Real mature Zuko," Katara muttered sarcastically. "You know, I was actually going to go look for you because I was worried, but now I'm thinking maybe I'd be better off if you did get caught." She hadn't really meant that, but she was certainly not about to admit to it at this point.

Zuko's cocky smile suddenly faded, and he murmured softly, "Thank you."

Not knowing how to respond, Katara stood for a moment, staring down at the floor.

Detecting that Katara was emotionally exhausted, Zuko suggested, "I think we should just get some rest."

Katara nodded and glanced up at the tiny bed against the wall, then at Zuko. "What are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" she questioned.

Zuko took a quick glance around, as if to find a solution in the minuscule room. "You can sleep on the bed," was his simple reply.

"Well, what about you?" Katara asked.

"I can sleep on the floor," Zuko replied.

Katara let out an annoyed sigh. "You can't sleep on that hard, cold floor." She stepped over to the bed and pulled the blankets off, folding them several times, with one on top of the other, to form a large, soft cushion. She set them on the floor between the nightstand and the wall, then tossing the pillow from the bed to the floor. "There," she stated simply.

"Thank you," Zuko murmured and took a seat on the pile of blankets she had lain out.

Katara smiled softly at him and turned the lamp off as she sat down on the bed. She lay down on her side, looking down at Zuko as he lay on his back. Though the room was rather dark, Katara could see Zuko's face in the soft glow from the moonlight shining through the window. He looked somewhat hurt, and she wondered if he was thinking about his uncle. Once more, she found herself entranced by Zuko's pale face. The way the light from the moon shone across his face made him look gentle, and rather vulnerable. At that moment realization struck her. Zuko was no different or worse than her, or her friends. He felt the pain of loss, and he cared for those who cared for him. He was just a young man struggling to do the right thing, and to please those who meant the most to him. He just needed to realize who and what should really be important to him. As Katara closed her eyes, she wondered if she could help him make that realization.


	15. Chapter 14

Katara awoke the next morning, feeling the warmth of the morning sun shining on her face. She moaned, having no desire to get up yet. After releasing a yawn and stretching her arms, she sat up in the bed. She glanced down to the floor where she expected to find Zuko slumbering, but he was not there. Figuring he had gone down to the tea shop to work, she decided it would be a good time to wash up. Coming to the conclusion that using her water bending to clean herself would not be the most efficient in the room she was in, she decided it would be best if she retrieved a sponge or cloth.

Just as Katara reached the first step, she realized she had forgotten to put her disguised belly back on. She ran back into the room and picked up the empty sack she had used before, stuffing it up under her robes. Once she felt it was smoothly back in place, she headed back down the stairs.

In the tea shop below her room, Katara found the owner was in the midst of opening the shop. "Good morning!" he greeted Katara as he opened the entrance door.

"Would you by chance have a bar of soap and a wash cloth that I may use?" she asked as he and she both approached the front counter.

"Let me take a look," the man replied, "I should have something around here." He began rummaging through drawers and cabinets. "It's been quite some time since somebody has stayed here. I don't remember where I've put everything."

Katara scanned the room, but there was no sign of Zuko. "Do you know where…" she had to watch what she said, "… where my husband is?"

The shop owner popped his head up from behind another counter. "Here we go!" he exclaimed and held out a bar of soap, a sponge, and a towel. "Will this do?"

Katara was rather relieved her had found something. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he didn't have either of the items. "Thanks so much," she replied, "Those will do perfectly."

As the man handed Katara the items, he answered her question. "Yeah. I sent your husband out to pick up some ingredients, but that was quite some time ago. He's not a very responsible man is he?"

Katara laughed and shook her head. "He's not that bad. He's just a bit… inexperienced I guess. But I guarantee you he is a great tea maker!" She quickly made her way back up to the room, wishing to waste no more time.

Back at the room, Katara poured some of the water from her bucket she had filled into the washbasin along with the bar of soap. She stared at the large hole where the door had once been. Though she figured no one would be coming up there anytime soon, she would rather be safe than sorry. She scooped up one of the sheets lying on the floor beside the bed and draped it across the opening, stuffing the edges of the sheet into small cracks and crevices along the remnants of the door frame. Once satisfied with her work, she made her way back to the washbasin and proceeded to strip out of her clothing and take down her hair.

* * *

When Zuko arrived back at the tea shop with several ingredients in hand, the owner shot him a disappointed glance. 

"You took some time," the owner scolded. When Zuko did not respond, the man continued, "Your wife was looking for you. She went back up to the room. You can set those down on the counter alongside the stove if you would like to go upstairs and speak with her."

Zuko nodded and dropped off the handful of ingredients where the man had instructed. He made his way up the stairs despite his belief that whatever Katara wanted was nothing important. At the top he was surprised to find a sheet hanging in the doorway. He silently pulled the sheet aside just enough to peer inside the room. He thought that Katara would have just gone back to sleep, but he did not see her on the bed. He pushed aside the sheet a little more and finally spotted Katara, but not as he had expected.

Katara stood on a towel, with her back to the doorway. Her clothes were piled on the floor several inches behind her. Zuko was frozen, with what he did not know… fear maybe, or fascination, he really did not want to know. He could not take his eyes off her as she lathered herself with a soap-filled sponge. Her long wavy hair cascaded down her back, but her feminine curves were clearly seen. He felt as if his nose would start bleeding at any moment. He tried to swallow, but the lump in his throat only caused him to choke. When Katara turned her head towards where he stood, he immediately let go of the sheet and took off down the steps.

At the bottom of the steps, Zuko ran into the shop owner, nearly knocking him to the floor. "What's the matter with you?!" the man hollered as he stepped back out of Zuko's way. Zuko stood in front of him, wide-eyed and fidgety. "Are you feeling alright? Your face is dreadfully flush."

"Uh… I just need to cool off," Zuko replied hurriedly and dashed into the kitchen portion of the room. He held his head over the sink and splashed cold water on his face.

* * *

While Katara was washing herself, she had a sudden uncomfortable feeling, as if she was being watched. She glanced over should to the doorway, but saw that the sheet was still intact. It was moving slightly, but she presumed it to be nothing more than the work of the wind. She dropped the soapy sponge into the washbasin. Using her water bending, she moved several streams of clean water across her body and hair, gently removing the soap. Once she had finished, she used the towel she had been standing on the wipe away any stray splashes of soap and water from the wood floors. She slipped back into her clothes and sat on the edge of the bed. After a few attempts at running her fingers through her long hair she grew frustrated. She needed a comb or brush for her long locks. 

With her pregnant belly assembled, Katara made her way down to the tea shop again in hopes of retrieving something to use on her hair. Below she found Zuko cleaning up a table that appeared to have recently seated a few customers. His back was to her as she approached him. "Hey! How's it going, husband?" she tried not to laugh when she spoke the fake title. Apparently he had not known she was there, because he jumped several feet in the air and nearly dropped the glass tea cups he held on a tray. She started laughing, finding it ironic that she was now the one startling him.

"Don't do that!" Zuko howled as he tried to regain his composer. His cheeks flushed, remembering the scene from earlier.

"Sorry," Katara laughed, "But you totally deserved that after all the times you've startled me." She noticed his blush and questioned, "Are you alright?"

The shop owner, who had been standing nearby, overheard the conversation and spoke out, "He's been acting pretty strange for the last 15 minutes or so." Zuko's expression turned to sick as the man spoke, and his red color instantly depleted, his skin turning even more pale than usual. The man continued on, speaking the words Zuko was dreading. "He came running down the steps with his face bright red and he's been acting pretty strange ever since."

Zuko almost threw up as the man gave away the whole ordeal. He tried not to look at Katara, certain she could put two and two together and figure out what had happened. Never in his life had he felt so sick with embarrassment. He almost wished Azula would pop in right then and strike him dead.

Katara stood silent for a moment, trying to understand what the shop owner had said and meant. Then she remembered the moment during her washing when she had thought somebody was watching her. There really had been somebody there, and it was Zuko. Now she was the one blushing.

The man noticed that Zuko was now pale, and Katara was looking flush. "Maybe you two should get a little more rest. You can come back to work in a couple of hours when you're not so sick."

"No! I'm fine!" Zuko blurted out, fearing spending time alone with Katara after the prior events.

"No, you're not fine. Neither of you are. Now go upstairs before you both start spreading whatever you have to all my customers!" the man ordered.

Zuko reluctantly followed Katara up the stairs, dreading the awkward moments that were sure to come.

Feeling just as uncomfortable as Zuko, Katara opted to act as if nothing had happened. In the room, she sat down on the bed while Zuko twiddled his thumbs nervously from his spot by the doorway.

"Would you happen to have a comb on you by chance?" Katara asked as she attempted yet again to run her fingers through her long hair.

Zuko presumed that Katara was avoiding the subject, but he was more than happy to do so. He reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a small comb. "Yes, actually, I do."

As Zuko handed Katara the comb, she teased, "I kind of figured you'd be the type who spends time making yourself look pretty." Zuko chuckled, which Katara had not expected. She attributed the out of character laughter to his severe embarrassment. As she began combing her hair, she noticed Zuko was still standing across the room, looking not only uncomfortable, but also bored. "Would you like to try this?" she offered, holding out the comb.

Zuko looked perplexed by her question. "You want me to comb your hair?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Only if you want to though. It's a bit hard on my arms with all this hair, so it would be a big help," Katara replied.

"Why would I want to do such a thing?" Zuko questioned.

Irritated, Katara snapped, "Yeah, why would you want to do anything helpful? Especially for a water tribe peasant, right?" She glared at him now, growing tired of his 'pride' issues. Her smile returned though, as she came up with an idea of persuasion. "I'll tell you what. If you do this for me, I'll teach you a water tribe secret that not many know."

Zuko eyed Katara suspiciously, wondering if what secret she would reveal would be worthwhile. After a few moments of pondering he approached her beside the bed. "Fine, but I've never done this before," he mumbled.

Katara laughed. "You're telling me you've never combed your hair before and yet you carry a comb with you?"

"No! I meant I've never done this on a girl before," Zuko hollered, but his voice became quiet at the end. He turned away in embarrassment again.

Katara tried not to laugh again, seeing she was making him uncomfortable. "Well it's no different than combing your own hair. Come take a seat behind me." She patted a spot on the bed behind her, beckoning him to sit there.

Zuko unenthusiastically took a seat behind Katara, crossing his legs to keep them from touching Katara. He took the comb from her, but sat still as he stared at her hair uncomfortably. He had to ask himself, what was he doing and why was he doing it?

Katara looked back over her shoulder at Zuko, wondering why he wasn't doing anything. "What's the matter?" she asked.

Zuko did not reply, and instead went ahead and started running the comb gently through Katara's hair. She turned her head back and closed her eyes. She was reminded of when her mother used to comb her hair when she was very young. Only, this moment seemed more sensational than she could remember. Perhaps because instead of a woman, it was a young handsome man who was combing her hair.

Katara had become so relaxed that she nearly fell asleep. She opened her eyes though, when she noticed that Zuko was no longer combing. She glanced into the small mirror above the washbasin that stood several feet in front of her. She could see through the reflection that Zuko's eyes were closed. Believing he had fallen asleep, Katara laughed to herself. As she turned her head just slightly, she noticed he was breathing in quite heavily. She narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on his face. Then she caught what he was doing, and he wasn't sleeping. "Are you smelling my hair?!" she exclaimed.

Zuko's eyes shot open, realizing he had been caught. He immediately sat up straight and continued to run the comb through her hair. "No," was all he said, though clearly he was lying.

"Yes you were!" Katara exclaimed and turned her body so that she could look Zuko in the eye.

Zuko pulled the comb away from Katara's hair and shook his head in denial. "I was not! Now teach me this water tribe secret you promised me!"

Katara rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't try to change the subject! You were smelling my hair, weren't you?" she asked even though she knew he had been.

Zuko didn't reply and turned his gaze down to the comb he held in his lap, trying to avoid looking into Katara's eyes. He was taken aback though when Katara leaned closer to him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You're so cute," Katara said sweetly as she admired Zuko's expression. "I never would have thought you to be so shy." She leaned into him again, placing a kiss on his lips this time. He returned the kiss, but only for a brief moment before backing away.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked, feeling somewhat offended that he had pulled away.

"I though you didn't want this," Zuko spoke softly.

Katara felt guilty for what she had said to him yesterday. He was probably hurt, and now she was kissing him. She must have been confusing him. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I know I said it wasn't right, but my feelings have changed. I'm willing to give 'us' a try, that is if you are willing. She looked Zuko straight in the eye, but he looked away. His reactions had her fearing that he might not feel the same way, but his words reassured her otherwise.

"I'd like to try," Zuko murmured, almost too quietly for Katara to hear. "Now tell me that secret!" he demanded.

Katara laughed, happy that he was interested in her, and also amused that he was so set on learning her 'secret'. "OK. Listen closely to what I'm about to tell you. Not many know this secret, and I'm only going to tell you once." She tried to stifle a laugh as she continued, "In order to ride an arctic penguin, you must bait them with a fish!"

Zuko's smile faded and he scowled at Katara's foolish 'secret'. "You peasant," he growled softly and grasped one of her wrists, pulling her in for a kiss.


	16. Chapter 15

_A/N: Sorry this chapter is sort of short. Thanks for the reviews everyone!! They make me so happy! Please feel free to offer suggestions on grammar, context, word choice, etc, but please be specific! Enjoy!_

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After Zuko had returned to work at the tea shop, Katara opted to take a stroll in search of a decent water source for her bending practices. Eventually she came upon a small stream running through the edge of town. The water was far from pristine, but it would serve its purpose nonetheless.

After several minutes of practice, Katara heard a familiar, but unwanted, voice from behind her. "Well look what we have here," the man's voice bellowed.

Katara spun around, the stream of water she had been bending still wrapped around her. She was startled to find the group of men who had been beleaguering her the other day. "Looking for trouble?" Katara jeered.

The belligerent man she had kneed in the groin previously was now eyeing Katara suspiciously. "What's that?" he yelled, pointing at Katara's stomach.

Katara glanced down, wondering what the man had been pointing at. She then realized that the men had not seen her in the disguise. "Shoot," she whispered to herself. She looked back up at the men, smiling negligently. "Oh this? Haha… this is… well… this is my baby!" She prayed the imbeciles would fall for it, but she was regrettably out of luck.

"You did not have that thing yesterday!" one of the men accused.

"Of course I did," Katara argued, still holding her stream of water, knowing well that a fight was sure to break loose. "You must be blind!"

"That was definitely not there," one of the other men replied, taking a step closer to Katara.

Seeing that the men were about to make a move on her, Katara quickly whipped several small streams of water at their feet, freezing the water as well as their feet to the ground. She darted past them, knowing the ice would quickly melt in the heat of the midday sun.

As Katara had expected, it did not take long for one of the men to break free and catch up to her. She attempted to evade him by running through several alleys. She had eventually made her way all the way back to the rear of the tea shop. She knelt down behind a stack of large wooden crates until she was certain she had eluded the men. However, as she walked around to the front of the shop and approached the door, she heard the man that had been chasing her holler, "There she is!"

Katara dashed into the shop only to find herself in an even worse situation. Sitting at one of the tables at the center of the room, was a large group of Fire Nation soldiers. She came to an immediate stop and quickly scanned the room for Zuko. She spotted him at the other side of the shop, apparently trying to hide his face from the soldiers. Looking back over her shoulder, she could see the nasty men entering now. Not knowing what else to do, Katara took off towards the back of the shop towards Zuko, rushing right past the group of Fire Nation soldiers.

When the men whom had been pursuing Katara came storming into the tea shop, the owner stepped out from behind the main counter, his eyes on the intruders. "We don't serve the likes of you," he stated threateningly.

"Is that so?" one of the men sneered, "but you'll serve a phony like her?" He pointed a condemning to Katara, who was now grasping Zuko's shirt in attempt to persuade him to leave with her.

"What are you talking about? Stop harassing this poor girl. Can't you see she's pregnant?" the tea shop owner scolded.

"She's not pregnant. We had a run in with her just the other day, and there was nothing there!" one of Katara's pursuers argued.

The owner looked back at Katara's stomach, noticing now that her belly looked rather strange, no longer a spherical shape, but more of a messy pile of wardrobe.

Before the shop owner could blow his top, one of the Fire Nation soldiers caught a close enough look at Katara. "Hey! That's one of the Avatar's friends!" All eyes were on Katara now, which meant Zuko was also in the center of attention. Just as quickly as Katara had been caught, so was Zuko. Another soldier shouted, "And she's with Prince Zuko!"

Katara cursed herself for not paying better attention to her disguised belly when she had ran into the tea shop. Now was not the time for reproach though, as everyone within the shop was now in an uproar and ready to detain Katara and Prince Zuko.

Zuko grabbed one of Katara's arms and ran further towards the back of the shop, dragging her along. The soldiers and local ruffians were just as quick to react, and were not far behind. Zuko blasted through a wall, destroying a large portion of the back side of the tea shop in the process. He released several large blasts of fire through the hole in the building, slowing down the pursuers. Katara nearly tripped over the sack that had now made its way down her robes and to her feet. The sack turned out to be rather helpful though. As it fell to the ground behind her, one of the soldiers tripped over it, which in turn tripped several other men behind him.

Zuko and Katara soon ran into the dead end of an alley. With nowhere else to go, and the enemies hot on their trail, Zuko scooped Katara into his arms. "Hold on," he instructed as he launched towards the brick wall that lie only several feet in front of them. Using the corner created by the wall and the side of the adjacent building, he scaled up and over the brick wall. He landed hard on the ground, nearly toppling over from the extra weight of Katara, but quickly regained his composure and continued running. He could hear the men from the other side of the wall, struggling to climb up. He smiled victoriously, that is until he realized he was running right towards the edge of a cliff. He stopped at the edge, gently setting Katara down on her feet. They both gazed down, out of breath from the running and the adrenaline rush.

"What are we going to do?" Katara cried out, looking back and forth between the treacherous cliff and the town full of angry and greedy men that were soon to catch up to Zuko and herself.

Zuko glanced to his left and right, but found nothing but sand covered ground that led right back into the village.

"A flying bison sure would be great right about now," Katara announced as she looked desperately to the sky.

As if by some outrageous miracle, Katara's wish was granted. She heard the roaring growl of a familiar friend and spun around to find Appa soaring down from the sky. She squealed in delight and ran to the fluffy bison as he landed. Her smile left as soon as it came when she saw an empty saddle. "Appa! Where are Aang and the others?" she asked as she climbed on.

Appa turned to Zuko and growled as he approached.

"It's OK Appa, he's a friend now," Katara eased.

Appa eyed Zuko suspiciously as he climbed atop the saddle.

"I don't get it. Where are the others?" Katara asked. Her only response was another growl from Appa.

"Let's concern ourselves with that later," Zuko insisted, "Right now we need to get away from them." He pointed at the large group of Fire Nation soldiers and angry villagers that were coming at them from all sides.

Katara grabbed Appa's reigns and called out, "Yip Yip!" Appa took off into the sky, with not more than several seconds to spare. Katara watched below as the mob of men swarmed beneath them. When she looked back up and over her shoulders, she noticed Zuko was glaring at her accusingly. "What?" she questioned defensively. When he did not respond, she continued, "How was I supposed to know they would find me? Even so, how could I have known they would notice my disguise?" Zuko still did not respond, and now turned his gaze to the sky before them. Katara released a long sigh and mumbled, "You weren't a very good husband anyway." She smirked, knowing Zuko had heard her.

Katara sighed again a she ran her fingers through the soft fur on Appa's head. "What could have happened to Aang and the others? I hope they're alright." She shivered at the thought of Azula and her minions capturing Aang. Aang, Toph, and Sokka were tough, but so were Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. Though judging by the healthy condition of Appa, Katara figured it couldn't have been too bad.

"If my sister caught them, they're not alright," Zuko murmured. "I am surprised though, that my sister would have let the bison go."

Katara nodded in agreement. "I'm just as amazed that he found us." Katara knew something wasn't right. Aang and the others must have been captured. She prayed they were still alive. "I just hope Appa can take us to where Aang is, or at least where he last saw him," she spoke, choking on her words as a lump formed in her throat and tears in her eyes. She feared the worst for her friends.

Zuko noticed Katara choking on her words and turned his head to take a glimpse. Katara's back was to him as she held Appa's reigns, and her head was turned to the opposite side from where Zuko sat. Despite her attempts to hide her sorrow, Zuko could hear her hushed sobbing. He reluctantly reached out a comforting hand, placing it gently on her shoulders. She responded to the touch, though more than he had expected.

Katara spun around on Appa's saddle and threw herself at Zuko, burying her face in his shoulders, sobbing uncontrollably. "I hope my brother and Aang are ok, and Toph too," she wept, her voice muffled by Zuko's robes.

Zuko wrapped an arm around Katara's back, holding her in silence as she cried tears of dread and a loss of hope. Zuko choked back tears of his own, but at the thought of his beloved uncle. Unfortunately for Zuko, he was certain of the loss of his loved ones. Katara however, only knew of the possibility of losing her friends. There was still hope for her.


	17. Chapter 16

Appa flew through the clear sky for what seemed like days to Zuko. He was beginning to feel slightly apprehensive of the possible confrontation with the Avatar or, worse yet, his sister. Katara had cried herself to sleep not long after they had left the little village full of peasants and wanderers. She was now curled up in Zuko's lap, with her head nestled in the crevice between Zuko's neck and shoulder. Zuko held her securely with one arm wrapped around her far most shoulder. He kept his eyes on her during most of the flight, taking in deep relaxing breaths of her sweet smelling hair. Had she not been there with him now, he would most certainly have lost his sanity.

As Appa descended to the earth below, Zuko noticed a couple of sleeping bags around the remnants of what must have been a fire. Beside one of the sleeping bags was a rucksack that he was certain he had seen the Avatar carrying on the bison. When Appa landed on the grassy turf below, Katara awoke from her slumber. She opened her eyes, finding a soft white neck before her eyes. Realizing the neck belonged to Zuko, and that she was sitting in his lap, she quickly slid off him and onto the saddle. She turned away from Zuko in an attempt to hide her blushing cheeks. She wondered how long she had been laying on him, but was flattered that Zuko had not disturbed her.

"Where are we?" Katara asked, surveying the land around them.

"Apparently this is where the bison last saw the Avatar," Zuko suggested as he hopped down from the sky bison.

Zuko held his hands up to Katara, offering his assistance in her descent from Appa. She was unable to hide her blush anymore as she allowed him to grasp both her hips with his strong hands and lower her to the ground before him. She felt the urge to kiss him, but knew it was foolish to think such things at a time like this. Instead, she smiled softly in thanks for his aid. She quickly scanned the surroundings, and also discovered the sleeping bags and rucksack. Her heart began to beat rapidly, knowing the rucksack belonged to her brother and Aang. She ran to where the sack lay and picked it up, peering inside at the contents. To her dismay, she pulled out Sokka's boomerang. Zuko came to her side to help investigate.

"This is not good," Katara whispered. Trying to stay strong and keep her cool, she set down the sack and boomerang and continued her search for clues. When she same upon a tree several feet from the campsite, her worst fears were made real. Embedded in the tree were several small daggers, clearly the work of Mai.

"Azula was here," Zuko snarled from the other side of the campsite. Katara turned to face him. He was pointing at a large tree that stood before him. There was no need for Katara to question his deduction. There were clearly evident burns and fractures in the trunk of the tree, as if lightning had struck it. Katara's heart dropped and her throat began to close again. She felt she was close to hysteria, on the verge of giving up. She was too young for all this pandemonium. Although she enjoyed Zuko's company, she really needed the support of someone a little more positive.

Zuko could see that Katara was losing it. Trying to calm her nerves, he called out, "I wouldn't worry. I'm sure my sister would not kill the Avatar. She knows he'd only be reborn as another Avatar."

Katara trembled, Zuko's words doing little to comfort her. "That's what I'm afraid of," she replied. "She'll probably do worse… torture him." She began running her hands up and down her arms to calm herself. "Even if Aang is OK, what about the others? What about my brother, and Toph?!" she cried out. "What can we do? We can't do this alone! I can't do this alone." Her last words came out choked as she held back tears.

Katara's lack of optimism surprised Zuko. From the time he had spent with her, it seemed she was normally positive about almost everything. "You won't be alone. We'll figure something out," he murmured as he approached Katara, though he wasn't so sure himself if there really was much they could do. The moment only reminded him more, just how much he needed his uncle. He needed him not only for another ally in the fight against his horrid sister, but for guidance as well.

Katara massaged her temples, struggling to clear her clouded mind. She sighed deeply. Then a thought struck her. If she could find Suki, she and the other Kyoshi warriors would certainly provide adequate help. Unfortunately, she had no idea if Suki was even alright. Azula had apparently found her and several other Kyoshi warriors and beaten them. Without any other options, Katara resolved to take the chance and make an effort to find Suki.

"I have some friends that might be able to give us backup," Katara spoke to Zuko. "The problem is I'm not sure where they are, or if they're even still alive. Apparently your sister found them, because she and her friends came dressed in their uniforms at Ba Sing Se." She picked up the rucksack again, rummaging through its contents. At least not all of her luck had run out, as she found what she had been searching for. She pulled out a map, waving it around for Zuko to see. "The Kyoshi warriors' home village shouldn't be too far from here, and I'm sure I can pinpoint it on the map."

Zuko's eyebrows raised at the mention of the Kyoshi warriors. "You're kidding right?" he scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

Katara cocked her head to the side, confused by his question. "What do you mean?"

"Do you really think those little girls can be of any help in a battle?" Zuko sneered.

Katara's attitude took a sudden change for the worse. With her hands on her hips, she snapped, "Little girls? What are you trying to say?"

Zuko laughed tauntingly. "I thought I stated it quite clearly."

Katara's face turned red with frenzy as she retorted, "You think that being a girl implies an inability to fight?"

"Basically," Zuko replied nonchalantly as if he had no inclination of the wrath he was sure to invoke.

Katara's hands were now balled into tight fists at her sides. "You egotistical… sexist… jerk!" she hollered, releasing a frustrated high-pitch shriek at the end of her name-calling. "So I suppose you think that I can't fight?! And that those times I'd beaten you in battle, those were just an illusion?! Is that what you think?!"

Zuko was now smirking, enjoying her anger. He was no longer being serious, but merely playing with Katara. "It's a fact of life. You should just accept it."

Zuko had barely finished his statement when Katara whipped out the water from her flask, flinging dozens of sharp ice daggers in his direction. Caught off guard, Zuko found himself nailed against the tree behind him. He stood still for a moment, stunned by Katara's unexpected attack.

Katara approached Zuko, glaring fiercely into his eyes. "I say we settle this with a challenge." She smiled condescendingly now as she stood before him. "Though, it looks to me like it won't be much of a challenge."

Zuko instantly melted the ice that held his clothes to the tree, feeling rather enraged by her irrational confrontation. "I don't want to fight you," he growled, "You'll only get hurt."

"The only one who will be hurting is you!" Katara yelled as she pulled another stream of water from her flask and whipped it at Zuko. Unfortunately for her, Zuko was able to dissipate the water with little effort as he released a large blast of fire from his body. Realizing her flask was now empty, Katara searched for another water source.

Zuko laughed mockingly at Katara's futile attempts to out-bend him. "Unlike your kind, I do not require the presence of my element to fight. I make my own."

Zuko shot a blazing stream of fire at Katara, but she swiftly ducked below it. She ran full force at him, ramming her shoulder into his chest and knocking him against the side of the tree behind him. He released a gasp as the air rushed from his lungs and out his open mouth. He toppled helplessly to the ground. Though Katara's strategy had worked, the attack had set Katara off balance and she stumbled backwards. Zuko quickly kicked one of his feet out, taking Katara's feet out from underneath her. She fell back, and now was the one lying on the ground. Zuko promptly leapt to his feet and stood above Katara, his hand aimed down at her face. Katara did not flinch though. She knew he wouldn't go as far as to really hurt her, but her adrenaline was still high, and her frustration got the best of her. She copied Zuko's move and took out his feet, but she had not planned it out as well. Zuko fell forward, and on top of Katara.

Katara's face was flush, but no longer from rage. Zuko's straddling position over her had her feeling suddenly quite uncomfortable. His face was just barely a few inches from her own. She tried to read his thoughts, but his expressionless face left little indication. She parted her lips to speak, but was silenced when Zuko forced his lips to hers. Katara's eyes closed, and she felt guilty for enjoying this so much. Her guilt did not last long though, as she felt the tip of Zuko's tongue brush against her upper lip.

When Zuko finally broke the kiss, steam rolled from their parted lips. The sight of their resulting mixture of fire, water, rage, and passion only further reddened Katara's cheeks. Zuko stood up and held out a hand to Katara. She took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"I think that was proof enough," Zuko stated, laughing playfully. "Though I must admit, you are certainly one of the strongest girls I've ever known."

Katara rolled her eyes. She might have been angry, if not for his unusually pleasant laughter. "What about your sister?" she questioned

"She's not a girl. She's a demon," Zuko replied.

Zuko laughed again, this time Katara joined him. Katara could not believe Zuko was acting so… human. She'd never thought she would hear him laugh, or smile as sincerely as he did at this moment. It warmed her heart, to think that maybe she helped bring out the good in him.

"Zuko, thank you," Katara whispered.

Zuko looked at her perplexed. "For what?"

"For staying with me," Katara replied. "I'd be pretty lost if you had just taken off after we were separated from the others."

Zuko smirked teasingly as he replied, "Well, I figured if I couldn't have the Avatar, maybe I could take his girlfriend instead." He reached out a hand and cupped Katara's chin, gently tilting her head up. Leaning towards her, he placed another tender kiss upon her lips.


	18. Chapter 17

It was now nightfall as Katara and Zuko journeyed through the sky on Appa. Finding the Kyoshi village was taking much longer than Katara had expected. Katara sat at the front of Appa, holding the reigns. She had trusted Zuko with the task of viewing the map and dictating directions. She was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake. She had a pretty good sense of direction with or without a compass or map, and she was certain they were heading in the wrong direction. Telling that to stubborn Zuko, however, was a futile endeavor.

"It's getting pretty dark," Katara spoke, "We aren't going to be able to see any landmarks soon. We should probably just call it quits for the night and set up camp somewhere."

"We're fine," Zuko grumbled while turning around the map he held. "I'm sure we're close now."

Katara noticed Zuko flip the map completely upside down from its original position, and felt suddenly ill. "Have you been holding that upside down the entire time?"

Zuko looked at her as if offended by her accusation. "No! Of course not!"

"Well then why did you just flip the map around?" Katara asked.

Zuko stalled for a moment, which led Katara to believe he was trying to think up an excuse. "I just wanted to see it from a different angle," he finally replied.

Katara glared at Zuko. "You've got to be kidding me? Why would you even want to do that?" She did not give him the chance to reply as she left her spot at the front of Appa to snatch the map from Zuko's hands. After inspecting the map and her surroundings for several seconds she let out an annoyed growl. "We aren't heading in the right direction! We need to be going straight east, but you have us going almost straight north!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zuko grumbled, "You must not be able to read a map."

Katara stared at Zuko in disbelief. "You are such a pain," she spoke as she slowly shook her head in disappointment. She turned back around to the front of Appa and sat in her original spot, taking the reigns and the map into her hands.

"You're such a girl," Zuko whined mockingly behind Katara. He lay back with his arms resting across the back of Appa's saddle, smiling at what he thought to be a witty comeback. He could hear her hushed, but rather audible, frustrated grumbling. He was not quite sure why, but he rather enjoyed teasing her. Her perturbed responses made him smile. Resting his hands behind his head, he lay back, comfortably gazing up into the starlit sky. The sight of such a clear sky reminded him of the times he had often spent with his mother, lying in the grass late at night before his bedtime. She would always point out each constellation and explain their significance. Though he had not really cared for an education on the stars, he took pleasure in every second he spent with his loving mother.

A small tear formed in the corner of Zuko's unscarred eye, and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to force away the pain of loss.

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After some time had passed in silence, Katara took her eyes off the map and glanced over her shoulder at Zuko. He was sleeping, but evidently not peacefully. His face was covered with sweat, and his body trembling. She rolled up the map she held and laid it in safely tucked between the corner of the saddle and the bag containing Sokka's boomerang. Worried that Zuko may have caught something from the unsanitary village they had just come from, Katara crawled over to where he lay. She slowly placed a hand on his forehead, trying not to startle him. She yelped in pain, quickly pulling her hand from his burning hot head. She gazed at the large burn mark on her hand, then gently held it in her other hand, trying to soothe the pain. Zuko was hot enough to the point of being on fire. Though Zuko was a fire bender, Katara was certain he should not be burning up, nor trembling so violently, while sleeping.

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Zuko found himself in a terrible nightmare. Though he was aware it was nothing but a dream, it made the visions nonetheless painful. There was emptiness surrounding him. Not a sign of sky, ground, walls. There was only himself and his mother who reached out to him from the distance. "Zuko," his mother called out helplessly. "Help me Zuko." Zuko extended an arm, reaching for his mother. "Take my hand mother!" he cried out to her. She slowly fell further and further away from him. He tried to run, but the quicker he ran, the faster his mother drifted away. "Why Zuko? Why didn't you save me?" she called out as she slipped away into the shadows of his delusional world. "No! Mother!" Zuko screamed as he fell hopelessly to his knees.

As if the nightmare could not get any worse, the scene took an abrupt turn. Zuko was now back on the Fire Nation ship with his uncle, father, and sister. His uncle lay sprawled out across the wooden floor of the ship, the deep burn upon his chest where Ozai had struck him with lightning. Iroh sputtered as he spoke to Zuko, "Zuko, why did you do this? Why did you let this happen?" Zuko shook his head repeatedly, trying to shake free from his nightmare. As his uncle slowly faded away, Zuko cried out, "Uncle… I tried! Please don't leave me. I need your guidance! I'm so sorry for all I've done!" He buried his head in his hands, allowing the tears to freely flow from his eyes. He could hear his sister's twisted laughter from behind him. His father bellowed before him, "Zuko, you are a disgrace to the family name! You will always be a failure! Never will you compare to your more superior sister Azula!" Azula's laughter rang louder in his ears. He moved his hands to cover his ears, his head throbbing. His attempts did nothing to silence his sister's wicked laughter. He began tugging wildly at his hair. He raised his head to the heavens which now poured horribly cold rain and sleet upon his face. He screamed to them, cursing them for torturing him so.

Zuko was finally freed from his nightmare when he heard a scream which brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes and sat straight up. Katara sat before him, holding her hand as if in pain. She looked up at him now, with concern in her eyes. Zuko's head still throbbed, his sister's laugh continuing to echo hauntingly in his mind. He stared blankly at Katara's hands. "What's wrong with your hand?" he questioned, his tone raspier than usual.

Katara glanced at her hand, then back to Zuko. His face was still covered in sweat, but he had ceased his trembling. "Well, I suspected you had a fever, but it was more like an inferno," she replied softly.

Zuko took Katara's burnt hand into his own hand, turning it over so that he could see her palm. Much of the skin was taut, with a bright shade of pink. He stared at it with disgust, disgust for himself. "I'm sorry," he spoke hoarsely.

Katara gazed into Zuko's golden eyes, trying to read his thoughts. "I'm alright. As soon as I get some water, I can use my healing abilities." His eyes met hers now, but they were blank and lifeless. She spoke softly, "I'm a bit concerned about you though. Are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine. I just had a bad dream," Zuko murmured as he turned his head to gaze blankly into the distance.

Katara gently brushed away a few stray strands of hair from the side of Zuko's face, revealing his scarred eye. He appeared to be terribly hurt and distraught. "You miss your uncle?" she whispered. He didn't reply, but she was certain the answer was yes when she saw him choke in an attempt to swallow. She rubbed the side of his arm consolingly. "I miss my mother, more than anything" she spoke softly. Seeing that Zuko obviously did not wish to talk about his problems, she resolved to change the subject. She removed her hand from his arm and moved to the front of Appa. "We need to set up camp for the night. It's too dark for me to tell where we are." She guided Appa slowly into the forest below. As they descended further, she could see a small stream. She sighed, relieved to have a good clean water source. Zuko had brought up a good point earlier. She did need water present in order to bend.

After they landed, Zuko and Katara hopped down. Sensing the approach of something strange and ominous, Katara gazed into the sky. Through the moonlight she could see thick, large, black clouds rolling in from the west. "It looks like we might be getting some rain soon. I think we had better find some shelter." As if on cue, thunder rumbled from the distance, causing small tremors in the ground below her feet.

"How about a cave?" Zuko suggested from several yards behind her.

Katara turned to discover Zuko staring into the distance at what appeared to be a small cave. "Well that's convenient," she replied, a bit surprised at the luck. She followed Zuko towards the cave, Appa not far behind her. The closer she got to the cave, the less sure she was about spending the night in it. It looked horribly damp and dark, and as they came to the entrance, she noticed tons of little spider bats hanging from the ceiling of the cave. "I don't know Zuko. Maybe we should just build some shelter out of branches and leaves," she whispered.

Zuko snickered teasingly as he stepped into the cave. He turned to face Katara and replied mockingly "What's the matter? Are you afraid of the dark?"

Appa stopped in his tracks in front of the cave and growled in protest.

"See, even Appa is uneasy about going into this cave," Katara replied, ignoring Zuko's attempt of banter.

Zuko smirked and turned, continuing further into the cave. Katara slowly followed behind him. She looked behind her and called to Appa. "Come on Appa," she spoke softly, but just loud enough for the bison to hear. He growled again and plopped down in front of the cave, watching Zuko and Katara disappear into the darkness. Katara realized Zuko had gotten much further ahead of her and ran forward, blindly bumping into him. She heard Zuko laugh, but clung to his sleeve despite how irritating he was being. Some sort of liquid dripped from the ceiling to the floor, making a disgustingly creepy sound. The ground squished below Katara's feet as she walked. "Could you at least use your fire bending to shed some light," she whispered, clinging tightly to Zuko's arm now. Zuko snickered, but granted her wish with a small fire in his free hand. Just as the light illuminated the cave, Katara caught glimpse of a spider bat hanging from a web only a few inches from her face. She screamed in terror, something she rarely did, and stumbled backwards. She tripped over something behind her and toppled to the ground, taking Zuko with her.

Zuko laughed hysterically from his seat on the floor of the cave. Katara glared at him, his fire still going and providing light to his face. "Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," she huffed. She stood to her feet, brushing herself off. The backside of her clothes were damp and slimy. "Disgusting," she grumbled, trying to shake the gooey substance from her hands.

Zuko stood up, still smiling in amusement at Katara's reactions. To Katara's surprise, he took her arm into his as he guided them further into the cave. Thunder crashed outside, echoing deafeningly off the cave walls. Zuko glanced behind him and noticed the bison had finally decided to follow them. "We have a visitor," he spoke quietly.

Katara looked over her shoulder and saw a very discouraged Appa approaching. She smiled sweetly. "Appa! I'm so glad you decided to join us," she called out. Appa appeared to be quite uncomfortable with the surrounding creatures scuttling along the walls.

Once they had reached a dry part of the cave, Zuko gathered up several stones and twigs, arranging them in a pyramid fashion on the floor of the cave. Katara gently pet Appa's fluffy face, calming his nerves. His eyes closed in content as Katara scratched behind his ears. "Appa," she whispered, "Where are Aang and my brother?" She sighed, knowing the bison could not understand her, nor could she understand him. She turned her gaze to Zuko who was using his fire bending to light the pile he had made. With the rather large source of heat, Katara felt a bit more relaxed. Thankfully the portion of the cave they were in was much less infested with creepy creatures.

Appa slowly made his way to a corner and plopped down, ready for some much needed rest. Katara followed him and took a seat next to him, lying against the soft fur on his side. She gazed up at Zuko and patted her hand against the ground beside her. "Appa makes a wonderful pillow."

Zuko sauntered to Katara's side and took a seat beside her. He closed his eyes and leaned against the bison, trying to gather his thoughts. He needed guidance, no longer knowing what his goal in life was. Clearly there was nothing he could ever do that would earn his father's praise. Nothing could restore his honor, not even capturing the Avatar. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a strange shifting against the bison. He glanced at Katara and noticed she was trembling. "Are you cold?" he asked, his voice deep and raspy.

"Yeah, a little," Katara replied as she rubbed her arms.

Zuko put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. Katara smiled shyly and rested her head against Zuko's. She was taken aback when she felt him suddenly emit heat from his body. She snuggled closer to him, his warmth relaxing her. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture Aang, Sokka, and Toph back together with her and Zuko. She concentrated on the feeling of Zuko's soft breaths against her hair, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: OK, I know there has been a long drought of the Aang gang. I PROMISE the next chapter will include the Kyoshi warriors, Aang, Toph, and Sokka… and there will be an explosion of happy fluffy togetherness for the group! Though I can't promise Aang will be super slap happy about the Katara and Zuko relationship._


	19. Chapter 18

Around dawn, a slight rustle within the cave woke Katara. She squinted in the darkness, the fire now reduced to mere burning embers. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a large figure move swiftly across the cave floor several feet in front of her. She turned her head towards Zuko with the intention of waking him. She was rather baffled though, not so much that Zuko's head was resting on her shoulder, but more that he was drooling on the sleeve of her robe. She heard another rustling sound, this time it sounded like two rather large beings. She elbowed Zuko's side. "Zuko!" she growled under her breath, "Wake up!"

Zuko leapt to his feet in surprise. "What?! What's going on?!" he exclaimed as he released a fire ball from his body instinctively.

The quick light from Zuko's fire lit the cave for a split second, allowing Katara to see they were in the presence of two large armadillo-bears. She sprung to her feet, but remembered she had not yet refilled her flask with water. She was helpless at the moment. Luckily Zuko was alert enough to defend as the two armadillo-bears attacked. He shot several bursts of fire at the armadillo-bears, but unfortunately he startled Appa in the process. Appa roared in distress and began running wildly about the cave. Though it had not been the plan, Appa managed to chase the armadillo-bears out of the cave. Katara and Zuko followed shortly behind the bison, afraid that he may take off into the sky.

As Katara bolted out into the open, she was relieved to find Appa standing there and the armadillo-bears long gone. She sighed and turned to Zuko, whose eyes were humorously wide open. "Did they startle you too?" Katara asked, giggling at his expression.

"I can't stand stupid animals," Zuko growled.

Katara pouted in jest, "Aw, but you love Appa right?" She patted the side of Appa's head affectionately. Zuko only glared unresponsively at Katara. Katara laughed to herself. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd really like to rinse off before we go," she spoke as she trotted towards the stream she had seen last night. Zuko and Appa followed silently.

* * *

At the waters edge, Katara began to strip down to her wrap-like undergarments. "Are you coming in?" she called back to Zuko. As she glanced over her shoulder, Zuko quickly looked away, trying to hide his blush. Katara smiled, finding it amusing as well as flattering that Zuko was acting so timid around her. She slowly stepped into the cool water, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she felt her troubles wash away. The water was surprisingly deep, coming just above her midriff. "You really should come in! It feels great!" she called out to Zuko, whom she assumed was still cowering behind her on land. "Besides, you probably need a bath!" When she glanced back to observe view Zuko's reaction, she was surprised to find a pile of his clothes lying at the waters edge.

Katara spun around in the water, searching for Zuko. She spotted him several yards down the stream with his bare back to her. She tried to contain her laughter and slowly waded through the water towards Zuko. As she approached him, she noticed steam rolling from his body. She couldn't help but notice the fine lines of his back and shoulders. He was clearly much more built than Aang, even more toned than her older brother Sokka.

Zuko was in the midst of scrubbing his arms when Katara bended a large wave behind him. Just as he sensed something above him, Katara sent the cold wave crashing down on him, knocking him over. Katara burst into laughter when Zuko got to his feet and turned to her, his face fuming from rage.

"What was that for?!" Zuko hollered, the steam rolling even thicker off his heated body.

"Sorry," Katara replied while trying to stifle her laughter. "I thought I'd help you."

Zuko was now crouching in the water, as if trying to hide something. "Help? Help me what? Drown?" he hollered.

Katara ignored his fury, and instead concentrated on his strange behavior of crouching in the water. Only his head remained emerged above the water. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"What are you talking about? What does it look like I'm doing?" Zuko replied sardonically, "I'm standing in the water."

"No, I mean why are you crouching down like that?" Katara questioned.

Zuko looked away, embarrassed. He did not need to answer Katara. His reaction was enough to clue her in.

"Are you being shy?" she teased. Zuko did not respond. Katara rolled her eyes. "It's not like I've never seen a shirtless boy before. I've seen Aang and my brother without their coverings countless times. I've even seen them in their underwear."

Zuko looked utterly appalled by Katara's statements. Katara smiled wickedly, an idea striking her suddenly. She lifted her hands above the water and began swirling the water surrounding Zuko. He stood alarmed as he watched the water slowly spread away from him in a circular motion.

"Hey! Quit!" Zuko hollered as he tried to duck deeper under the dwindling water. As the water completely disappeared from around him, he stood to his feet, his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Katara quickly ceased her bending when she realized Zuko was clad only in a small black loin cloth. Her cheeks quickly turned just as bright a shade of red as his, and she let the water quickly flow back around Zuko. Sure, she had seen Aang and her brother in similar outfits, but Zuko was clearly much older, more mature, and not to mention more attractive.

After collecting herself, Katara made her way to the edge of the stream where her clothes lay. She grabbed her flask and after removing the cap she submersed the container under the water. Once the flask was full, she stepped out of the water and began dressing. "We had better get going," she called out without looking back at Zuko. She could hear him moving through the water and was tempted to look, but she knew it would only lead to more uncomfortable moments for the both of them. As she finished dressing, she could hear Zuko step onto the grass behind her.

When Katara heard a thud come from behind her, she peered over her shoulder and saw Zuko sitting on the ground struggling to get his pants back on. She snickered, catching Zuko's attention. As Zuko looked up at Katara she quickly turned away. Her thumbs twiddled nervously as she waited for Zuko to finish.

"I'm ready," Zuko murmured.

Katara turned to face him, and covered her mouth with a hand, trying to hide her giggle. Zuko's soaked hair was plastered to his face. He still appeared rather irritated, although it could have just as well been his normal expression. "Your hair is a mess," Katara stated as she reached out a hand and ran it quickly through the front of Zuko's hair. As she pulled her hand back, it brushed against the scarred skin upon his cheek. She felt a sudden chill run down her spine, as if in the instant she touched his scar she could feel his pain. Her smile faded, feeling sorry for Zuko, and feeling guilty for thinking so poorly of him in the past. "Let's go," she whispered, forcing away the sickening feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.

Katara climbed onto Appa, who was busy eating leaves from a bush near the water. Appa growled threateningly as Zuko approached. Katara laughed and patted Appa's head. "Looks like he still doesn't trust you," she said to Zuko as he took a seat beside her.

"Do you trust me?" Zuko questioned Katara, their eyes meeting.

Katara was dumb founded, completely caught off guard by the question. "Uh… well…" she stammered. The question was enough to baffle her, but his eyes glued on hers was making a reply even more difficult to conjure up. She tried to look away from his stare, but found herself entranced by the emotion in his eyes. "I'm not sure. You have given me and the others plenty of reasons not to trust you. I mean you did attack us several times." She spoke honestly, but Zuko's expression had her feeling she had to defend herself. Had she even been able to contemplate the question, she probably still could not have given him a straight answer.

"I didn't ask about the 'others'," Zuko replied, "I don't care what they think."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, Katara still unable to take her eyes off his, nor able to come up with a good answer. From his last statement, she was getting the insinuation that he cared about her opinions. "I have to admit…" she began slowly, carefully thinking through her words, "You seem to have changed… for the better. Since we were split up from the others, you haven't done anything untrustworthy." Despite how much thought she put into her reply, it still sounded foolish to her.

"Good enough," Zuko replied and finally broke their stare.

Katara wiped away a small bead of sweat that had formed at the side of her forehead. She was relieved her answer was good enough to keep him calm. She just could not understand why communicating, or even just cohabitating, with Zuko was so much more difficult than with anyone else she had ever met.

* * *

When Zuko and Katara arrived at Kyoshi Island, Katara was surprised to find the leader Oyaji waiting as Appa landed along the shore. He looked troubled as Katara stepped down from the bison. She felt ill, believing he was troubled because of Suki and the other warriors.

"Where is the Avatar?" he questioned. Though his question was targeted at Katara, his attention was on Zuko, whom he was eyeing suspiciously.

Katara looked away, saddened at the mention of her lost friend. "I'm not sure. That's part of why we're here," she replied. "We were separated from Aang, my brother, and another friend. I'm pretty sure they were captured by Princess Azula."

"I see," Oyaji replied while stroking his bushy gray beard. "Who is your friend? He looks familiar." Zuko looked away from the man, trying to hide his face.

Katara laughed uncomfortably. "Well, you see… he's… well… he's Prince Zuko," she replied, ineptly placing a hand behind her head.

"The banished prince of the Fire Nation?" Oyaji questioned, taken aback.

Katara nodded. "He's changed, or at least it seems that way. He's been helping me for the past several days," she explained. She paused for a brief moment, wanting desperately to ask about Suki, but fearing the reply. When she finally gained the courage she spoke slowly, "Do you know where Suki is?" She prepared herself for the worst.

"Yes. She and the other girls are practicing in the training grounds," Oyaji replied while pointing towards the east side of the village. "I can take you to her."

"That would be great, thanks," Katara replied and bowed her head. She glanced back up at Zuko who still sat on Appa. "Are you coming?" she asked.

"No. I'll wait here for your return," Zuko replied.

"OK. Hopefully this won't take long," Katara said and followed Oyaji towards the village.

* * *

Once Katara arrived at the clearing where the Kyoshi warriors were practicing, Oyaji left to tend to his own business. Katara stepped into the clearing and watched silently for a moment. Suki caught a glimpse of Katara and held up a hand, telling the other girls to cease their training. "You girls continue on without me. I'll be right back," she said and took off towards Katara. "Katara! What are you doing here? I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed as she stood before Katara.

Katara examined Suki for a moment, and was relieved to see she had no apparent injuries. "I heard you and some of the other girls were ambushed by Azula and her friends."

Suki glanced down at the ground, ashamed of her loss in the fight. "Yeah… They roughed us up a bit, but we're all OK now. That girl... with those quick jabs… she had us all out of commission. It was like she knew all the right points to render us completely powerless. We were lucky enough that a couple of our villagers happen to pass by shortly after the battle." She paused for a moment, searching behind Katara. "Where's Sokka? … And Aang?"

"That's why I'm here," Katara started to explain. "Azula captured Ba Sing Se, and almost killed Aang. We fled and I was able to save Aang, but we ran into them again. Zuko and I were separated from the others…" Her explanation was cut short when Suki broke in.

"Wait… Zuko? You mean the Prince of the Fire Nation? The jerk who attacked our village?" Suki questioned.

Katara sighed. "I know... it's weird. It's a long story, but to put it simply, he's really not that bad of a guy. I think he just needs a little help being pushed in the right direction."

Suki nodded understandably. "OK, you can explain it in detail later. Sorry I interrupted you. So much has happened that I don't know about. Please continue."

"Somehow Appa found Zuko and I, and he took us to where he had last been with Aang, Sokka, and Toph. It was obvious that Azula and her friends had found them. I need to find them, but Zuko and I can't take on those girls alone, especially not if they've already made it back to the Fire Nation," Katara finished explaining. "I was hoping you and the other girls could help us."

"Of course I'll help," Suki replied with a smile. "I'd do anything to help you, the Avatar, and of course your brother. Besides, I think the girls would agree we'd like a second match with those girls."

"Great! You have no idea how relieved I am that you're still alive, and willing to help," Katara replied.

* * *

Katara led Suki along with two other Kyoshi warriors back to Appa. "I'm sorry I can't bring along more of the girls," Suki apologized to Katara. "We need to make sure there are enough defenses at our village."

"I understand," Katara replied, "We can't fit much more on Appa anyway. I'm hoping we can avoid battle at least until we find the others."

Katara assisted Suki and the girls in lifting their supplies up and onto Appa. Zuko sat at the front of Appa, his head turned away from the girls. Katara could sense how uncomfortable he was. After what he had done to their village, she did not feel the least bit sorry for him. The Kyoshi warriors climbed onto Appa, taking a seat at the back of the saddle. Katara hopped on and sat beside Zuko, who was still looking away into the distance.

"Yip, Yip," Katara exclaimed and Appa took off into the sky. Without any other idea of direction, Katara guided Appa back towards the Fire Nation. If Azula had really captured Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Momo, she would certainly bring them back to her father, or so Katara hoped.

* * *

_A/N: I know I promised Aang and the others would be in this chapter, and they weren't. Sorry! I tried! Next chapter... REALLY! I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway. Please review!_


	20. Chapter 19

_A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. That is, if anybody cared... I hope some people are enjoying this. Thanks to all who do review! This chapter is dedicated strictly to the characters that I have long not mentioned. There is no Zuko or Katara in this chapter, so sorry if that bugs anyone. My next chapter will be back to Zuko and Katara btw. __Please review and let me know what you think!!! Reviews keep me writing. _

* * *

Within the cell of Azula's ship, Sokka hunched over, his arms dangling above his head. Chains attached to shackles on his wrists held him detained to the wall. Toph sat several feet away, wrapped in several layers of bindings, including a straight-jacket, rope, and chain. Momo's head could only be seen from outside a sack in which he was securely held, hanging from the ceiling of the cell. Aang was nowhere in sight. 

"This stinks," Toph complained as she struggled to move her arms.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "I'd give anything for some seal jerky right now." His eyes glazed over at the thought of meat.

Momo's ears perked up, sensing the approach of someone. Toph, with her feet wrapped in the various bindings, unfortunately could not sense the approach as easily. She heard Momo's chattering before actually hearing the footsteps of the visitor.

"Someone's coming," Toph whispered to Sokka.

Sokka raised his head, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Maybe they have meat!"

Two guards appeared before the cell doors, the man in front carrying two bowls of rice. He opened the cell door, stepping several feet inside. He tossed one bowl before Sokka's feet, and the other before Toph.

As the guard turned to leave, Sokka whined, "Rice? Don't you guys have any meat? Even rotten penguin meat would be better than rice!"

The guard slammed the cell door shut and glared in disgust at Sokka. "You're a prisoner of the fire Nation, not royalty. You're lucky we're even feeding you."

Sokka pouted and stared down at the bowl before him. He looked back up at the guard again. "Could you at least put the bowl in my hands? I can't exactly reach it." He shook his hands sporadically, rattling the chains above his head.

Both guards laughed in amusement, and strolled off without a reply to Sokka.

Sokka turned his head to Toph, who was lying across the floor, her face practically in her rice bowl. She devoured the food in a rather un-ladylike fashion, pieces of rice falling from her mouth in every direction. Sokka's stomach protested noisily in demand of nutrients. "Toph, do you think you could feed me?" he pleaded.

Amidst her greedy eating, Toph chuckled at Sokka's request. After licking the last piece of rice from her bowl, she sat up and stared blankly in Sokka's direction. "You're too funny Sokka!" she teased.

"Come on Toph! Give me a hand!" Sokka moaned. Toph stared in his direction expressionless, until it dawned on Sokka that her hands were completely tied up.

"Can't you use your mind powers or something to bend the bowl up to my mouth?" Sokka asked. "The bowl is made of clay. That's a form of earth."

"No Sokka, I can't use my 'mind powers' to move anything right now. Besides, I can't even feel where the bowl is."

Sokka turned to Momo, a look of desperation on his face. "Momo, can't you help me?" Momo prattled and squirmed frantically within his sack, trying to break free. "That's right Momo!" Sokka cheered on the lemur. "Just keep wriggling! You'll get free eventually!" A smile slowly swept across his face as Momo managed to loosen the sack's tie around his little neck. A small furry hand popped out from the opening, further exciting Sokka. "That's it! You're almost there!"

Momo suddenly broke free, and flew immediately to the bowl of rice that sat before Sokka. Sokka smiled brightly, anxious for the food. "That a boy Momo!" he praised. But, as Sokka should have expected, rather than carrying the bowl to Sokka, Momo instead began scooping the rice into his own mouth. "No Momo! That's a bad Momo!" Sokka scolded. He wriggled his wrists in the shackles and kicked his feet about wildly. "That's my food!" he howled. Momo leapt back, Sokka's foot barely missing him. Momo quickly snatched up the bowl and carried it to the opposite corner. He continued to stuff the rice into his mouth as Sokka glared threateningly at him.

All the while, Toph laughed in amusement. "Sounds like the lemur is more intelligent than you are," she teased. Sokka's stomach growled again, as if angrily replying to Toph's taunting.

"So… hungry…," Sokka murmured pathetically. He let the muscles in his neck go limp and his head dropped, his chin resting against his chest. He closed his eyes and pictured fuzzy meat creatures frolicking about before him. A fluffy little rabbit hopped across his path in his imagination and spoke in a high-pitch voice, _"Sokka, don't you want to eat me?"_ "Yes, of course I want to eat you," Sokka replied aloud, his words slow and slurred.

Toph turned her head towards Sokka. "Who are you talking to?"

"The delicious bunny standing before me. Don't you see it?" Sokka replied drunkenly.

Toph's glazed eyes narrowed in confusion. "First of all, I'm blind. Why is that so hard for you to get? Second, something tells me there aren't bunnies on this ship, especially not in our cell."

Finished with the bowl of rice, Momo scurried to where Sokka hung flaccidly from the wall. From his spot at Sokka's feet, Momo gazed up at him in curiosity. He cocked his tiny head to the side and adjusted his ears, trying to understand Sokka's lunacy.

Sokka opened his eyes at the sound of Momo's prattles from beneath him. "Mmm… you look tasty. I bet you'd be real good fried in oil," Sokka drawled.

Catching the hint that Sokka was looking to eat him, Momo took flight through the cell bars.

"No! Come back flying morsel of animal protein!" Sokka called as he lifted his head and sadly watched Momo disappear.

"You've really lost it, haven't you?" Toph stated blandly.

* * *

Within a tiny cell made completely of steel, Aang stood helpless, his head hung in defeat. Like Sokka, his arms were shackled, but his arms were drawn widely apart, taught from the chains that stretched between his wrists and the steel walls. He would have given anything at that moment to have the capability that Toph possessed… to bend metal. As the sound of footsteps echoed through the tiny cracks at the door of the cell, he lifted his head and stared forward, angrily awaiting the entrance of the guards. 

The steel door swung open, creating an almost deafening sound as it crashed against the inner wall. Through the open door two guards stepped in, the same two that had visited Toph and Sokka. One closed the door behind him as the other carried a bowl of rice towards the Avatar. "Princess Azula has requested that I personally feed this to you, seeing as you are incapable of doing so yourself," the guard stated as he stood before Aang.

Aang's eyes burned threateningly at the guard as the bowl of rice was held before his face. Refusing to be fed by the enemy, Aang released a whirlwind of air from his mouth, sending the guard and bowl of rice soaring backwards. The guard nearly missed his partner and slammed against the steel door. As he fell to the floor, a dent was revealed where his back had made contact. The bowl crashed at the same instant, just above his head, rice and shattered pieces of the bowl covering the guard's head and lap.

The other guard quickly helped his battered cohort to his feet. The guard brushed off the rice from his shoulders and glared furiously at Aang. "Fine, have it your way! Starve to death, you stupid child!" he snarled.

Aang sighed in relief as the two guards left the cell, slamming the door behind them. Without many other options, Aang began meditating, hoping he could reach someone or something in the spirit world that could lend him some assistance. His meditation was short lived though, as he heard the soft patter of feet approaching. This time the sound was much softer and lighter. He was sure it was only one being this time. He gazed forward, curious about whom his new visitor was.

The door opened, much slower than when the guards had came in earlier. Aang's eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed as Azula slowly stepped in. "What do **you** want?" he spat.

"Now that's no way to speak to a Princess, is it?" Azula chided as she took several steps closer to Aang. "I hear you've been refusing food since we've brought you onto my ship. You're not trying to kill yourself are you? I won't let that happen, at least not yet." Her tone was dry and malevolent as she spoke. "We need you alive for just a little longer." She now stood several inches from Aang, a patronizing smile on her young, yet brutal, face.

Aang made an attempt at knocking her over as he had done with the guards, releasing a gust of wind from his mouth. Unfortunately Azula stood strong and stable. Her hair and clothes blew wildly, but her feet were solid.

"Are you finished yet?" she asked in agitation as Aang ceased his blowing. She tucked several strands of misplaced hair behind her ears and straightened her robe. She chuckled menacingly. "And to think… everyone thought a little boy could save the world." She turned on her heel and began to walk away. At the door she turned her head, peering over her shoulder at Aang. "By the way… I thought you might be interested to know there was talk of your little Water Tribe girlfriend and my brother roaming about in a village not far from here a few days ago. It seems my brother has taken quite a liking to her." Her devious smile thickened as she noted Aang's confused expression and she continued, "I can't wait until the Rough Rhino's find them and bring them back here. It should be exciting to see everyone's reactions to their blossoming relationship." With that, she was gone, and Aang was left alone again, but now had something to ponder and fear.

* * *

When Momo returned to the cell several minutes later, Sokka was still delusional, speaking to animals that only he could see. Momo prattled noisily as flew towards Sokka, carrying a small bag in his feet. He landed on Sokka's shoulder and picked up the bag with his fuzzy hands. Sokka stared at him in curiosity as Momo dangled the bag in front of his face. Sokka struggled to reach his hand down to the bag. He stood up on his feet, allowing slack on the chains that restricted his wrists. He snatched the bag from Momo and peered inside. His eyes lit up in excitement, drool dribbling down his face again. 

After some struggling, Sokka was able to remove a small piece of what he thought to be fruit from the bag and stuffed the entire piece into his mouth. "Mmm… thank… you…mmm… Momo," he spoke as he hungrily devoured his fruit.

"Whatcha got there Sokka?" Toph questioned, hearing the strange noises coming from Sokka's full mouth.

"Yummy fruit! Momo brought it," Sokka replied between bites of another fruit. Momo flew off Sokka's shoulder and landed on the floor beside Toph.

"Can I have some?" Toph questioned, her stomach still rumbling.

"NO!" Sokka hollered, his eyes wide and full of hysteria. "MINE!" He quickly stuffed his face with more pieces of food, brown juices seeping through his lips as he savored the taste.

Toph raised her nose in the air, sniffing several times. "Sokka, that doesn't smell like fruit." She inhaled several more times, until the scent finally registered an appropriate matching object. "That's not fruit. Those are berry leaches!"

Sokka gazed down at the remnants of his food. His eyes began to focus and he realized that Toph was right. He tossed the remaining section of the segmented bug to the floor. The bag fell to the floor, a wormlike leach falling through the opening. Sokka gagged and spat, his stomach suddenly much more ill than before. "I still want meat," he wined. His eyes shot down to Momo, who was now huddling next to Toph for security.

* * *

Azula stood at the bow of her ship, the Fire Nation just barely in sight. Ty Lee and Mai approached her from behind. "So did you talk to the Avatar?" Ty Lee chirped. Mai stood at her side, her façade jaded as usual. 

Without turning to look at her cohorts, Azula replied, "Yes. I told him a few things that might stir up a little amusement."

"Really? Like what? What did you tell him?" Ty Lee questioned, her curiosity evident in her elated tone.

Azula smirked as she replied, "Oh nothing much really… just that the Water Tribe girl he likes so much has been spending quite a bit of _quality time_ with my brother."

Ty Lee perked up even more. "Oooo… you're so crafty Azula!"

Mai's expression quirked a bit at the mention of Zuko with another girl.

Azula continued, "And if that wasn't enough to get him worked up, I also told him that we sent those men out to capture the two of them." She turned around now, to face the girls. "You know what, maybe you two should go check up on that. I have not heard from them since I sent them off yesterday. Perhaps I was foolish to send men to do something important." She gave Ty Lee and Mai a fake smile. "I can trust you two to find them and bring them to me, right?"

"Of course!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

Mai stood silent, indifferent to the request, or rather, the demand.

"This should be fun for you Mai. Perhaps you can spice things up for Zuzu and the girl."

The girls nodded in agreement to Azula before strolling off.

Azula returned to her view of the slowly advancing land that she called home. "This should be interesting," she murmured to herself.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry, I know I already had an aouthor's note, but I just had to say that even writing Azula's character makes me angry. She is such a nasty little wench!  
_


	21. Chapter 20

Katara could hear whispering coming from the Kyoshi warriors behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see what it was about. Suki's two friends were whispering amongst each other while staring in Zuko's general direction. When the girls realized they were being watched, they quickly looked away from Zuko and ceased their gossiping. Katara turned to Zuko, knowing he had to have heard the whispering as well. His expression appeared rather annoyed and uncomfortable. She placed a hand on his knee for comfort, but she could feel the eyes of the girls gawking at the sight, so she quickly pulled it back.

Suki noticed the behavior of her fellow warriors and told them to knock it off. She moved to the front of Appa to sit on the side of Katara opposite of Zuko.

Katara gave Suki a friendly smile. "What's on your mind?"

Suki stared at her lap, embarrassed by what she was thinking. "I'm really worried about your brother," she whispered.

"Me too," Katara replied, her thoughts drifting to the possible endeavors her friends were currently facing.

* * *

Nightfall came sooner than expected. Katara and her crew were close to the Fire Nation, but in their flight path was yet another ominous storm rolling in. 

"We have an extra tent, if you'd like to use it," Suki offered to Katara as Appa descended towards the earth.

"That would be great," Katara replied, "I had to sleep in a damp smelly cave last night."

There was a brief silence. Suki looked as if she had something to say to Katara. Seeing this, Katara smiled reassuringly. "What's the matter Suki?" she questioned.

"Could I talk to you for a minute… alone?" Suki asked quietly as she and Katara climbed down from Appa. She caught a glimpse of Zuko's unscarred eye watching her suspiciously, making her feel somewhat awkward.

"Of course," Katara replied enthusiastically, though concerned about what Suki needed to say. "Zuko, could you set up the other tent please?" she requested as she followed Suki to a more private area behind a large tree.

Zuko reluctantly took the tent that one of the Kyoshi warriors handed him and sauntered off to a random spot where he dropped the tent carelessly. The girls watched him closely as they set up their own tent on a flat patch of land. They giggled girlishly, noticing he was setting up at the bottom of a hill, which was obviously not the best choice when there was sure to be rain.

"Is something wrong?" Katara questioned Suki as they stood facing each other.

Suki laughed half-heartedly, somewhat reluctant to ask the questions on her mind. "Nothing's wrong… or at least I don't think… well… besides the Avatar and your brother being captured." She took a deep breath, knowing she was just rambling. Katara silently watched her, waiting patiently for her to speak again. Suki finally forced herself to get to the point. "Is there something going on between you and Zuko?"

Katara began stroking her long braid nervously. "What do you mean?" She pretended not to know what Suki was getting at.

Katara's actions pretty much gave away the answer, but Suki wanted to hear the details, so she continued to prod for information. "I noticed that even though the entire time we were riding Appa Zuko did not speak, he was watching you closely and listening to everything you said to me and the other warriors. It just seemed a little strange. Actually… he was sort of acting the way Aang did around you."

Katara let go of her braid, surprised that she had not noticed Zuko watching her, or listening to her. "Really?"

Suki was equally surprised, but more by Katara's response. Now she was not sure what to think. Katara appeared sincerely surprised about Zuko's interest in her. "You didn't notice?" Suki asked. Katara shook her head in response. They stood in uncomfortable silence momentarily until Suki spoke again. "Well, he clearly likes you, Katara."

Katara tried to hide her blushing, messing with her hair-loops so that her arms covered her cheeks. "That's weird," she replied, laughing uneasily.

"Yeah…" Suki agreed, though she was suspicious that Katara might be hiding something. "You know, you can tell me anything Katara. I'm not going to judge you." She took a second to peer around the tree to be sure her fellow warriors were not listening in on the conversation.

A sigh escaped Katara's lips. She knew Suki was being truthful. Though honestly, Katara was not even sure what was happening between her and Zuko. Zuko was not exactly the most open about his feelings, and he gave her mixed signals. "I'll be honest with you," she whispered, "I'm not entirely sure what is going on between us. I do know we've kissed…" She paused for a moment, awaiting Suki's reaction to the statement. As she expected, Suki's eyes widened, but only for a brief moment. "The whole thing is just really weird. I don't know what to think. I mean… he's technically the enemy, right?"

Shortly after pondering Katara's question, Suki answered, "Not necessarily. Is he still after the Avatar? Or has he mentioned anything about taking over the other nations? Just because he's from the Fire Nation, doesn't mean he's in agreement with the war."

"That's what's so weird!" Katara replied, almost too loudly. She lowered her voice as she continued. "He was all about restoring his honor and capturing the Avatar, so much as to hurt other people, including your village. But now, he never mentions anything about the Avatar, and he hasn't really shown any violence other than when he's protecting us." She lifted her hands to her head, massaging her temples.

"I'm sorry," Suki apologized, "I didn't mean for this to bother you. I should have minded my own business."

"No, it's OK," Katara responded and took her hands away from her head. "I'm just a bit confused… about my own feelings I guess. I think there is good in Zuko and honestly, I think he has some noble features."

Suki flashed Katara a friendly smile. "Well apparently he likes some of your features as well," she teased. Katara laughed along with Suki, though Katara's blush had returned.

Thunder crashed in the distance, taking both of the girls' attention to the sky. "Let's get back. I'm sure it's going to rain any second now," Suki said and motioned for Katara to follow her.

Suki walked over to her friends and began helping them finish with their tent. Katara stood before Zuko, amazed at how horrible he was at setting up a tent. As it was, it did not even appear to be a tent, only a pile of sticks and cloth. "Do you need some help?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

Zuko leapt to his feet and irritably chucked one of the sticks he had been holding at the ground. "This is ridiculous!" he hollered.

Katara stood beside him and placed a reassuring hand on his lower back. "It's alright Zuko. I'll help," she whispered and bent down to pick up his mess. "I take it you've never put up a tent before?" Zuko shook his head, still pouting childishly. Katara smiled in amusement and carried the tent pieces to a different location, Zuko following her.

"Well, first thing you should know about setting up a tent is never put it at the bottom of a hill. If it rains, which I'm sure it will tonight, the water will run down the hill and pool underneath the tent," Katara began explaining as she pieced the tent together.

Thunder rumbled again, this time the sound resonating closer. Katara gazed up into the sky. The dark clouds were now over them, ready to pour any second. The wind had picked up as well, another hint of what was to come. "We had better hurry," Katara said as she picked up the pace on setting up the tent. Then a though occurred to her. Appa needed shelter, and the tent certainly wasn't big enough for him. As if she spoke her thoughts aloud, she saw Suki and her friends fastening a large tarp in the trees near their tent. "Is that for Appa?" Katara called out. Suki nodded as she tied the last corner of the tarp to a tree branch. "Thanks so much!" Katara called out, raising her voice over the howl of the wind.

Suki ran over to Katara while the other girls crawled into their tent. "I don't know how well that will work with all this wind," Suki stated to Katara. They both turned to watch Appa shuffle under the shelter.

Katara shrugged her shoulders. "There's not much more we can do, but I think he'll be fine. He's been through plenty of storms before. Besides, if he can survive being frozen for a hundred years, he can handle just about anything."

Suki nodded in agreement and began helping Katara secure her tent to the ground. Katara was beginning to worry about her own safety. The wind had picked up tremendously, enough to nearly knock her over. Thunder crashed above them and the clouds instantly released a massive amount of rain. Suki ran off to her tent as Zuko and Katara crawled into theirs.

The rain poured relentlessly on the tent as Katara huddled beside Zuko. "I hope we don't blow away," she whispered jokingly. Zuko wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her closer to his side. Katara's cheeks reddened from both embarrassment and lust. She tilted her head back and gazed up at his face, their eyes meeting. He appeared surprisingly happy and content, a slight smirk on his face. The storm outside seemed to disappear as Katara and Zuko gazed into each others eyes in silence. Katara wanted to ask him what his thoughts were, but feared his response might not be pleasant.

Zuko broke their gaze as he brought his lips close to Katara's ear and whispered, "Are you cold?"

Katara shivered, but not from the cold. Zuko's husky voice and warm breath against her ear sent chills down her spine. "Yes, a little," she replied softly and turned her head, trying to keep his lips away from her sensitive ear.

"A little?" Zuko questioned, his breath now rolling across Katara's neck. She squirmed slightly and attempted to overcome the strange feelings she was so suddenly having. Zuko cocked his head to the side, wondering why Katara was acting strange. "You're shaking like you're more than a little cold," he whispered. He moved away from Katara for a moment as he stripped off his earth kingdom robe. He gently placed it over Katara's shoulders as he moved closer to her again.

"Thanks," Katara spoke softly and closed her eyes, resting against Zuko's chest. The wind and rain had died down outside. Now there was only a light patter of rain drops softly falling on the tent. Katara reveled in the warmth of Zuko's body close to hers, and the serenity of the sounds of gentle rain and Zuko's deep breaths.

Katara's reverie was momentarily interrupted when she sensed something was amiss. She opened her eyes and peered up at Zuko. He gazed down blankly with a dismal expression. Katara sat up and turned to face him. "Is something wrong?" She gazed into his golden eyes with concern. He was too hard to read. It was obvious something was bothering him, but she wasn't sure what that something was. "What's on your mind?" He still did not respond, so she tried to persuade him to open up to her. "I know it's hard to talk about your problems, but it might help."

Zuko's eyes were listless and empty, as if he had lost all hope. He finally spoke, but his tone was dark. "I'll never have my honor back."

Katara could not believe he was still stuck on the whole honor issue. She thought after what his father had done he would have seen how foolish it was. Yet, her heart ached, seeing the pain he was in. But she knew of nothing to say or do to heal his emotional wreckage. She wished she had seen him this way long ago. There was so much she had not known, and she had wrongly judged him. "Why are you still going on about that?" she questioned. "Can't you see your father is a horrible person? What honor is there in appealing to a man who wages war on the world, including his own son?!" Her voice was now more harsh and strident, frustrated with Zuko's ignorance. "Where is the honor in defeating the world's hero?"

Zuko's face twisted in anger at Katara's words. He leapt to his feet, glaring accusingly down at Katara. "You know nothing about me!" he shouted. "Your life is perfect! Your family and friends accept you for who you are! You don't hold the weight of an entire nation on your shoulders. Nor do you rely on the guidance of a dead man! So don't lecture me, peasant!"

Lightning struck through the midnight sky as Zuko stormed out of the tent. Katara stood up, calling out to Zuko. "Wait, Zuko! I'm sorry!" There was nothing she could say now, he was already gone. He had disappeared into the dense forest just beyond their tent site.

Katara clutched Zuko's robe against her chest, fearing the possiblities now that Zuko's mind was filled with hatred yet again. His outburst had been the most words he had ever spoken to her, but they were such harsh words. His final word echoed in her mind, threatening to bring her down. '…_peasant_.' She wondered if that was really how he felt about her. Perhaps she had only been fooling herself into thinking he had changed for the better

Katara realized just how much she really needed Aang and her brother right now. Without Aang's optimism and Sokka's motivation, Katara felt she was slowly losing hope, something she thought she could never lose. She slowly ducked back into the tent, forcing her pessimism out and convincing herself that things would be better without Zuko tagging along. The rain began to pour again, and the wind picked up, preventing her from ceasing her concerns for Zuko.

* * *

_A/N: I personally do not like how I wrote the last couple of paragraphs. Katara seems to... I dunno... pansy-ish? Granted she is only 14 and probably rather unstable from all the mishaps that have occurred in her life._

_Well, I hope this chapter was a good one despite the drama!_


	22. Chapter 21

_A/N: Holy flaming hotmen! An update! I've been quite sicky the past week so I have not been writing. I hope that those of you who have been keeping up with my story remember what's going on. _

_BTW, does anyone know how I can get my story into a community? I'd like it to be in a Zutara community so I get more readers, but I'm not entirely familiar with the C2 formalities and such. One of my other stories ended up in a C2, but I'm not sure how. doesn't really explain anything about C2s._

_Anywho, as always, thanks for reviews, and please keep them coming!!!_

* * *

The storm raged throughout the entire night until dawn, keeping Katara awake and, of course, worrying. As the sun rose over the horizon, the rain slowly calmed to a drizzle. Katara sat up in her tent, completely exhausted. Beams of sunlight penetrated through gaps in the trees just outside her tent, illuminating her weary face as she stepped outside. She peered around, hoping that Zuko had come back, but just chose to stay out of her tent. He was nowhere in sight, but she did spot Suki taking down her tent. 

Suki heard Katara approaching and paused her disassembling, turning around to face Katara. "Good morning sunshine!" Suki exclaimed mockingly as she noted Katara's sulky expression. "I take it you did not sleep as well as I and the other girls did." She glanced past Katara, into the open tent where she expected to find Zuko, but the tent appeared empty. "Where's Zuko?" she questioned, her attention back to Katara who now stood before her.

"I'm not sure," Katara replied solemnly, staring down at her feet.

Suki hesitated, sensing Katara's discomfort. "Should we wait for him?" she finally questioned.

Katara shook her head. "No. Right now what's most important is that we intercept Azula before she reaches the Fire Nation, that is, if she isn't already there."

Suki nodded in agreement. "Well, once these tents are bundled back up, we should be ready to go. The girls are by the water working on cleaning up Appa right now. Apparently that storm last night blew a lot of debris into his fur."

Katara slowly returned to her tent and began dismantling it. Suki joined her several moments later and offered her assistance.

"Suki!" one of the Kyoshi warriors called out in distress from past the trees. Sensing trouble, Suki and Katara both immediately dropped their tent pieces and bolted towards the trees. As they burst through the trees and out into the opening, they spotted the cause of uproar. Standing near the waters edge was Mai and Ty Lee. One of the Kyoshi warriors was already down. Her lack of functioning limbs was evidence of the work of Ty Lee. Appa roared fiercely at the enemies and took a step closer to them, baring his large teeth.

Though given the current predicament, Katara was not too worried. Right behind the enemy sat an abyss filled with water, her element. Katara smirked, knowing well that there would not be much of a challenge, and that taking them out now meant less to deal with once they found Azula's ship.

Mai yawned loudly, patting her hand over her mouth in a suggestion of boredom as Ty Lee attempted to take out the other Kyoshi warrior. Suki lunged forward to attack, but was halted as Katara spoke whispered forcefully, "No. Just stay back. I can handle these two no problem."

Suki eyed Katara with uncertainty, but remained in her spot as Katara took several steps closer. She smirked as she spoke pretentiously, "You chose the wrong day to mess with me. I didn't get an ounce of sleep last night, and I'm feeling pretty cranky!"

Mai glanced aside, unaffected by Katara's statement, a look of boredom still present. However, Ty Lee was distracted by it and was nearly struck down by the fan of the Kyoshi girl. She somersaulted backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. All the meanwhile, behind Ty Lee and Mai, a large wave was forming and climbing higher and higher.

The Kyoshi who was in midst battling Ty Lee, took a step back, eyes widened and staring at what Ty Lee thought to be herself. The Kyoshi girl spun around and quickly ran to where Suki knelt beside her fellow warrior, who was at the time finally beginning to feel her limbs again.

Ty Lee watched in curiosity as Appa now slowly backed away. "Wow, we must have really intimidated them. Everyone is running from us now," she stated to Mai. Suki and the other girls were now backing further away. "It must be my aura," Ty Lee suggested, still unaware of Katara's bending work behind her.

"I don't think so Ty Lee," Mai murmured, noticing Katara's arms lifted high in the air. Mai knew what was coming, but she was too late. Ty Lee at the same moment felt the presence of something above and behind her.

Katara brought her hands down in a quick swift motion, sending the monstrous wave crashing down on Mai and Ty Lee. Just as the dense wave of water fell below their shoulders, Katara froze the water, rendering her enemies helpless in the thick frozen mass. Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors stared in awe at the sight.

Suki took her still recovering friend's arm around her shoulder and aided her to Appa, where she then hoisted her up onto his saddle. "Go grab our tents, quickly!" she said to her other friend as she proceeded towards Katara. The girl nodded and ran through the trees.

"That was amazing!" Suki exclaimed to Katara as they watched Mai and Ty Lee struggle to free themselves.

"Thanks," Katara replied. "We need to hurry though. I don't know how long that will hold them."

* * *

Katara, Suki, and the other Kyoshi girls took off on Appa, with their supplies safely on board. 

Below, Mai and Ty Lee remained frozen, but the hot sun was quickly melting the ice. Ty Lee turned to Mai, a confused look on her usually cheerful face. "Where's Zuko? I didn't see him. I thought Azula said he was seen traveling with her."

Mai scowled, annoyed by the wet hair matted across her face. "Obviously Zuko didn't want anything to do with the Water Tribe girl. Azula was probably just trying to stir up some sort of reaction from me or something."

Ty Lee smiled. "Why would she do that? She knows you're more emotionless than a rock."

Mai now turned to Ty Lee, her bored expression now more of a look of annoyance.

* * *

Katara could not help but smile as she watched the enemies slowly disappear from sight behind them. She turned he head back and saw that they were already over Fire Nation waters and closing in fast on the lands. "Things might be going our way. Not only did we take out two potential problems, their presence here must mean Azula isn't too far away." 

"I hate to sound pessimistic, but we're so close to the Fire Nation, so she's probably even closer," Suki replied and moved from her spot beside her friends to take a seat beside Katara at the front. Katara's smile faded, and she turned her attention down to the reins held tightly in her hands. Sensing Katara's sudden change in attitude, Suki spoke optimistically. "Between the four of us, I don't think we will have any problems, especially if we can sneak in and free Aang and the others first."

Katara shook her head. "We're not going to be capable of sneaking on unnoticed. Its broad daylight and we can't afford to wait until nightfall. We're just going to have to find Azula, attack, and pray that where ever Azula is, so are my friends."

As their flight continued, Suki and Katara remained silent. The two Kyoshi girls sat at the back of the saddle, whispering to each other. Katara suspected they were speaking of her and/or Zuko, but at the moment, she did not care either way.

Just as they flew over the crescent isle of the Fire Nation, Katara could feel her eyelids grow unbearably heavy. Her eyes closed and her head fell. She quickly lifted her head back up, shaking it in an effort to keep herself awake.

Suki noticed Katara's drowsiness and placed her hand gently on Katara's shoulder. "You want me to take over so you can get some rest? I don't know how far we are, but I think any little rest will do you some good."

"Yeah. Thanks," Katara replied, her eyes half lidded. "Just follow the long stretch of tiny islands. We should eventually come to the Fire Nation capital, but hopefully we'll find Azula before then. Just let me know as soon as you see sign of a ship." She handed the reins over to Suki and repositioned herself at the side of the saddle, where she pulled out Zuko's robe from the supply bag and folded it into a pillow. As she rested her head upon the robe, she could smell the smoky scent of Zuko. Her eyes closed, and she instantly fell asleep.

* * *

"Katara!... Katara!" 

Katara opened her eyes slowly, awakened by the sound of her name being shouted from beside her. She sat up and stared groggily at Suki who was trying to get her attention. Suddenly remembering the current situation, she shook her head, bringing herself back to reality. "What's going on?" Not giving Suki a second to reply, Katara gazed across the waters, and down upon a Fire Nation ship that was sure to be Azula's. It sat, apparently stalled, only several miles from the shore of the capital. Their timing could not have been any closer to disastrously late.

"Is that the right ship?" Suki questioned.

Katara nodded. "Yes. I can't believe we made it just in time! They haven't reached the capital yet!" She took a seat beside Suki, who quickly handed her Appa's reins. Katara's hands trembled as she took the reins. She was excited that they had found Azula's ship, but she also feared what may have already have happened to her friends.

"So, do you have a plan?" Suki questioned in desperation as she watched them descend towards the large ship.

Katara's expression contorted in a somewhat unsure fashion. "Well, I guess you and your friends can search for Aang, Sokka, and Toph, while I keep Azula busy. I doubt there will be anyone aboard the ship that will be much of a threat besides Azula. We were actually quite lucky Mai and Ty Lee came after us earlier. Things would have been much more difficult if the three of them were together when we arrived." She turned to Suki, a serious expression on her face. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to." She glanced at the girls at the back of the saddle, indicating she meant it for them as well.

"There's no way I'd let you go at this alone," Suki replied with a reassuring smile. "Besides, we'd all like some revenge."

"And to save a certain special boy!" one of the Kyoshi girls added. She and her friend giggled as Suki shot them a threatening glance. However, Suki was unable to hide her blush, even behind her white makeup.

Katara turned her attention back to the ship below, but couldn't disguise the smile on her face, knowing what the girls had meant in their teasing. "Alright, there's no turning back now," she announced as she shook Appa's reins, bringing him down to the ship at a fast pace.

* * *

Zuko staggered through an opening in a dense forest of old trees and into a small village at the edge of the sea. Though the sun was shining brightly, his clothes still dripped from the nights raging storm. He held a hand over his stomach as he hobbled drowsily over to a food stand near a shipping dock. The man looked up from his work behind the stand, eyeing Zuko suspiciously. Zuko dropped several copper pieces on the table before the man. "I need something to eat," Zuko grumbled. 

The man stared at the money for several moments before replying. "That won't buy you much."

"I don't care!" Zuko snarled, slamming his fist on the table top. "Just give me what it's worth!"

Shrugging his shoulders, the man replied quietly. "This is all I can give you." He pulled out a small, sickly looking fish and wrapped it in a piece of paper. Zuko snatched the fish from his hands and stomped off to sit at the edge of the nearby dock, just as a small Fire Navy ship pulled in. With his back to the men disembarking the ship behind him, Zuko unwrapped the paper from the fish. He peered over his shoulder, reassuring himself he was not being watched too closely as he created a small fire around the fish in his hands.

As Zuko hungrily devoured the tiny fish, he overheard a couple of men speaking as they passed by behind him.

"Did you send a message to the Fire Lord about the flying bison we spotted?"

Zuko ceased his chewing and perked up, listening closely as the men continued their conversation.

"Actually I sent out two messenger hawks; one to the Fire Lord, and the other to Princess Azula. I'm certain the princess can intercept the bison before it arrives at the capital."

"I'm surprised the princess let the Avatar's bison go free in the first place."

The remaining of their conversation faded as they moved too distant for Zuko to hear, but he head heard more than enough. "What is she thinking?" he grumbled to himself, "I can't believe she's just going to fly right into Fire Nation territory." Despite his famished body's protests, he dropped the remainder of his fish into the water below his feet. He got to his feet and looked around, frantically searching for a means of fast transportation. Unfortunately, all the surrounding boats and ships were far too large to travel fast enough.

Not far from the end of the dock, Zuko spotted a mammoth cat-fish swimming, quite fast he noted, at the surface of the water. With not many other options or time to think, desperation set in, and he opted to catch a ride from the large fish. As he ran towards the edge of the dock, he stripped off his damp shirt and shoes, leaving nothing but his earth kingdom pants. He dove, head first, into the cool water and attempted to swim unseen beneath the fish

The cat-fish was fast, which was what Zuko had hoped for, but it proved to be difficult to catch. Just as Zuko found himself out of breath, the fish paused above him. He swam quickly up and out of the water, launching himself on top of the fish. The fish jumped high out of the water in surprise and protest, but Zuko was able to grasp its slimy whiskers and secure himself for the ride. With the whiskers as reins, Zuko took control of the fish and took off towards the Fire Nation capital, unbeknownst Katara had already boarded Azula's ship.


	23. Chapter 22

_A/N: An update! I'm so sorry I've been behind on the updates. I noticed that my last chapter generated far less reviews, so I'm assuming people have lost interest in my story or perhaps have lost patience in awaiting new chapters. So I'm going to try to hurry up and finish this story. For those who reviewed my last chapter, thank you so much. Your reviews keep me going._

* * *

As Appa landed with a soft thud upon the main deck of Azula's ship, Katara was surprised there were no visitors awaiting her arrival. She peered around cautiously before hopping down from Appa. It was almost too coincidental that they had not been discovered. 

"I can't believe no one has spotted us yet," Suki spoke, getting the same strange feelings Katara had. She and the other girls jumped down onto the deck of the ship, also carefully scanning their surroundings.

"This might be a trap," Katara spoke softly, "We don't even know for certain if Aang and the others are even on this ship." She turned to Appa, placing a friendly hand upon his nose. "Just stay here Appa. Take off if there's any danger." Appa grunted softly in reply, and stood alert, just as leery as the girls. Katara turned back to the others as she spoke. "I think we had better split up if we want to find them quickly in this large ship." She turned her attention to the door that led to the inside of the ship. "After we get inside, you three can head one way, and I'll head another."

Suki and the Kyoshi warriors followed Katara to the door before them. As Katara reached out a hand for the doorknob, it turned unexpectedly. Katara pulled back her hand quickly in surprise as the door swung open before her.

"Why, hello there. How nice of you to stop by," Azula's sardonic voice rung through the open door. Katara took a step back, raising her hands for battle as Azula stepped out from the darkness of the room and out into the light upon the ship deck. Suki and the other warriors joined Katara in a battle ready stance, awaiting Katara's instruction.

Azula smiled wickedly as she stood, arms crossed, before Katara and the Kyoshi warriors. "To be quite honest, I was not expecting you. I sent some of my best to take care of you, but I see now that I put too much trust in the weaklings." Her wretched tone made Katara cringe. Azula turned her attention to the sea as the ship began moving.

"Where are they? What have you done with them?" Katara demanded, feeling rather anxious. She still held her hands out before her, ready to attack at any moment. Now that the ship was in motion, there was little time for her to find her friends before reaching the Fire Nation capital.

Azula chuckled snidely, her attention still away from Katara as if bored by her presence. "Don't worry your pretty little head. You will be joining them soon enough."

"I think not," Katara shot back, tired of playing Azula's games. She pulled a stream of water up and over the side of the ship and swirled the stream around her body, but before she could attack, Azula quickly spoke out.

Azula's attention now back on Katara, and her mood serious, she narrowed her eyes as she spoke threateningly, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm much more powerful than you are. And my men will have no problem taking out your friends."

As Katara was about to question the "men" she spoke of, she found her answer. Troops of Fire Nation soldiers suddenly poured out from the back side of the ship, quickly surrounding Katara, the Kyoshi warriors, and Appa. Though the odds appeared stacked against them, Katara was not too worried. Water surrounded the ship, providing her an endless source of bending. She was however concerned for her friends, who were at much more of a disadvantage. Her eyes narrowed at Azula. "I thought you said you weren't expecting us," she pointed out.

Azula laughed bitterly again, mocking Katara's comment. "I did. I wasn't expecting your arrival… that was until a little birdie brought me a note from my esteemed colleagues."

In one swift movement of her hands, Katara split her stream of water in half, sending both sections crashing into Azula's shoulders. Just as quickly as she attacked, the Fire Nation soldiers began their attack on the Kyoshi warriors. The force from Katara's water onslaught sent Azula soaring backwards through the open door from which she had come. Katara quickly drew forth another barrage of water from the sea, sending it crashing against the door. As the door slammed shut with Azula behind it, Katara froze the water, sealing the door shut. Though it would only be a temporary blockade, it gave Katara enough time to assist her friends against the army of soldiers.

Katara spun around, facing the battle between the Kyoshi warriors and Fire Nation soldiers. Appa had already knocked down several men with his enormous tail, but was now surrounded by a large group of men. "Appa! Leave!" Katara hollered. Appa growled in protest.

Suki waved her hands in the air, trying to shoo Appa. "We'll be fine! Go Appa!" she yelled. Appa growled once more before reluctantly taking flight.

Once Appa was out of harms way, Katara slowly raised her hands, bending a large wave of water from one side of the ship. Several soldiers noticed a shadow looming over them, but before they could react, Katara sent the wave crashing across the ship. The wave knocked down nearly half the men, and washed them over the opposite side of the ship and into the sea.

Katara readied herself for another barrage on the soldiers. As she raised another stream of water to her side for an attack, a sudden explosion form behind her sent her tumbling forward. The water she had been bending crashed to the floor at her feet as she caught her balance. She quickly turned, well aware of the source of the explosion.

Azula stood within the now burning hole of where the door had once been. Her hair was wet, and she was obviously rather infuriated. "You're going to regret that," she snarled, her eyes staring daggers into Katara's.

"I doubt that," Katara replied, a devious smirk on her face as she reached a hand out before her, beckoning Azula to make the first move.

Azula made no hesitation to attack Katara. In a fluid motion, she extended an arm and released a bolt of blue fire at Katara's face. Katara quickly drew the water from the deck at her feet up into the air, freezing it into a wall before her upper body. The fire crashed against the wall of ice, but the force and heat of the fire was enough to burst the ice, sending Katara stumbling backwards. Azula took advantage of Katara's loss of balance and released a huge burst of fire from her body, knocking Katara to the ground.

Katara found herself unexpectedly knocked to the floor of the ship. She had tried to shield her face from Azula's first blast, but it had left her temporarily blinded. When her back hit the floor, she felt her vision go fuzzy for a moment. When she finally opened her eyes, she discovered Azula standing before her, a sinister smile on her face. Katara watched in horror as two fingers extended from Azula's hand, merely inches away from Katara's face. There was no way she could dodge the attack in time, nor could she bend the water from the sea quick enough to block or even nullify it. Katara looked on in terror as blue fire engulfed Azula's hand. This was not how Katara wanted it to end. She could not fail now. Not when Aang and her brother needed her.

Just as Katara saw the fire begin to leave Azula's hand, she caught glimpse of a sudden blaze of fire engulf Azula, sending her crashing into the side of the ship. Katara looked on, dazed by the sudden turn of events. She felt an unexpected figure appear behind her, looming over her as she sat dazed upon the deck of the ship.

"Need a hand?" a familiar voice questioned from behind Katara. Katara tilted her head back, a smile on her face as she found Zuko standing there, holding out his hand for her. She slowly took it, allowing him to assist her to her feet.

"Zuko," Katara whispered, unable to find words at the time. She thought for a brief moment she saw a smile on Zuko's face, but he took off after his sister before Katara had time to piece everything together. As she caught sight of Azula and Zuko firing at each other, she shook her head, clearing herself of the daze. She quickly conjured up a pool of water from the sea, pulling it with her as she ran towards the battling siblings.

Katara stopped between the two ongoing battles. She took a second to observe her surroundings, determining whether the Kyoshi warriors needed more assistance, or if she should lend a hand to Zuko. Seeing that all three girls were still in good condition, and the number of soldiers dwindling as she watched, she made the decision to target Azula. She waited patiently for just the right moment to attack. Zuko ducked below one of his sister's attacks, leaving her open and vulnerable. In that moment, Katara used her pool of water to fabricate several large, sharp icicles, which she rapidly fired one after the other in Azula's direction.

Off guard, Azula spotted the flying projectiles heading her way a moment too late. As she attempted to blast them away along with her brother who crouched before her, one of the icicles struck her right hand, inhibiting her fire bending. As she lifted a foot to deal a fiery kick to Zuko, several more icicles made a forceful contact with her chest, knocking her back into the side of the ship again.

Katara motioned to Zuko to step aside, which he quickly did. Katara quickly lifted yet another huge wave over the ship and sent it crashing down upon the stunned Azula. Katara used her bending to swirl the water around Azula and send her over the edge and into the sea where many of the soldiers still waded in the water. Katara spun around, pulling more water with her. Only several Fire Nation men remained on deck, so with the stream of water she controlled, she propelled them off the back side of the ship.

The Kyoshi warriors gazed out into the sea in amazement. Katara had thrown nearly a hundred men overboard. Suki ran over to Katara and stood with her hand on her knees for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Nice job!" she exclaimed when she finally stood back up.

Katara smiled, pleased with her work as well. "I'm sure Azula can get back on the ship though, so we had better hurry," she pointed out. Suki nodded in agreement and motioned for the other girls to follow her. Zuko nonchalantly came to Katara's side, a scowl on his face. Katara could tell that he was obviously jealous of her accomplishments, but he also did not realize how much help he had just provided, especially for Katara.

"Thanks," Katara whispered to him, somewhat short of breath from all the intense bending.

Zuko looked away, leaving her no reply.

Katara sighed, tired of Zuko's tough act. She returned her attention to the girls as she stood in the burnt doorway leading inside the ship. "We need to split up to find Aang and the others quickly. You girls head right. Zuko and I will head left." She pointed down the hallways leading to two separate sets of stairs. "If you find anyone, or run into any trouble, just holler." Suki nodded and took off with the other girls as instructed.

Katara quickly headed in the other direction, Zuko at her side. As she ran down the steps she turned to Zuko. "How did you know to find me here?" she questioned.

To Katara's surprise, Zuko gave a fairly detailed reply. "I overheard from a group of Fire Nation men that they had spotted a flying bison heading towards the capital." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I knew you were brash enough to try to take on my sister."

Katara hesitated to ask her next question. As they reached the bottom of the stairwell, she gazed down three separate hallways. Her head rather full of questions and emotions, she found herself unable to decide which path to take. She turned to Zuko who stood awaiting her decision. "So why did you come here?" she finally asked the question that had been bugging her. Remembering that last time she had spoken to Zuko, she had gotten the feeling that he did not actually care for her. But then he showed up when she was in danger and saved her life. She was thoroughly confused. She had no idea what Zuko felt, or even what she felt.

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "What kind of question is that?" he snapped.

Katara stared into Zuko's eyes, confused by his response. "Well…" she hesitated to continue, sensing Zuko's increasing exasperation. "I thought you didn't care, so why would you come here?" she blurted out, starting to feel irritated herself. She trembled slightly, her girlish emotions getting the best of her

Zuko's eyes widened as he hollered, "I came here to protect you! Why else would I come here? Of course I care about you!" He slammed his fist into the steel wall in frustration. The sound of his anger and the resonating metal, along with Zuko's words caused Katara to nearly have a melt down.

"Then why did you call me a peasant and take off in a rage the other night?" Katara questioned, trying to cover the shaking in her tone as she spoke.

Zuko clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying to hold back his frustrations. When he opened his eyes and saw Katara's concerned eyes staring into his own, his frustrations suddenly slipped away. He hung his head as he spoke softly, "I… I didn't mean that. I'm just… I'm just so confused… I need my uncle's advice, but he's gone… for good."

As Zuko spoke, his voice cracked, and Katara was sure he was close to the point of breaking down into tears. She knew it would make him feel worse if it happened in front of her, so she tried to calm him down. An idea struck her, though she was not so sure it was very practical. "You know… I could probably convince Aang to help get you into the spirit world. I'm sure after you found out how happy your uncle is, and how proud he is of you for making the right decision, I bet you'd feel much better." Though the idea seemed a bit far fetched, she prayed it would give Zuko some hope.

Zuko lifted his head, his golden eyes full of pain. Though to Katara's surprise, he replied in a hoarse tone, "Would you really do something like that for me?"

Katara's cheeks turned a shade of pink and she looked down at the floor. "Yes, I would."

"But… why?" Zuko questioned, his voice deep and scratchy.

Katara faltered for a moment before replying. "I guess the same reason you came to help me today." As she finished the statement, she looked back up, her eyes locking onto Zuko's. She reached out her right hand, brushing her thumb gently across the scarred tissue just below Zuko's left eye. The painful story his eyes told made her shiver. Unexpectedly, Zuko lifted his hand, holding Katara's hand against his scarred cheek. Katara was at a complete loss for words. She could almost see the mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes as he cradled her hand between his hand and cheek.

"Thank you, Katara," Zuko spoke so deeply it was almost inaudible to Katara's ears. Katara smiled kindly, knowing how hard it was for Zuko to give thanks, or even say her name. She felt a strange feeling when he spoke her name. A feeling she was not sure was right, but she knew she liked it.


	24. Chapter 23

_A/N: Holy hotmen! I am alive and have posted an update!! Darn school work taking my time away. Hope people are still interested. I promise the next chapter will not take quite as long... though probably still a while..._

* * *

Sokka groaned as he struggled helplessly to free himself from the chains restraining him. Toph rolled her eyes, annoyed by Sokka's continuing struggles.

"Why don't you just sit still?" Toph stated dryly. "There's no way you can get out of those chains."

"I'm hungry," Sokka whined. "We haven't been fed in like two hours!"

Momo's ears perked up, his sensitive hearing picking up the sound of approaching footsteps. He chattered as he took flight through the bars of the cell.

Sokka and Toph sat silent, listening closely as they tried to determine who their approaching visitors were. Sokka perked up when he heard a familiar voice speak sweetly to Momo. He peered through the bars across the cell, praying and anxiously awaiting whom he hoped to be Suki.

"Suki!" Sokka exclaimed as she appeared before the cell door holding Momo happily on her shoulder. Suki smiled sweetly as she peered inside the cell, seeing that Sokka and his friend were in seemingly good shape.

"I'm so glad to see you're alright," Suki said as she and her friends busted open the cell door. As they stepped inside, Suki ran over to Sokka while the other girls aided Toph in her escape from all the bindings. Suki knelt down beside Sokka and ran her fingers through his little ponytail. She looked at the chains restraining him, examining the locks on the shackles around his wrists. "There's no way I can get these off of you without a key," she said sadly.

"Go help Toph first. If you can get enough of the cloth wraps off of her, she can easily bend the metal," Sokka replied as he titled his head towards Toph. Suki nodded and joined her fellow Kyoshi warriors to assist in the removal of the rope and cloth bindings. As Suki helped remove the last piece of rope, Toph nodded her head, indicating she wanted the girls to back off. The Kyoshi girls stood up and watched in awe as Toph stood to her feet and grasped the closest links of chain. Her face strained as she began slowly stretching the metal chain. In a matter of seconds the chains snapped, broken links soared across the cell and smacked loudly against the floor as they dropped.

After disposing of the now loosened chain, Toph made her way over to Sokka, who was shaking anxiously. Toph let out a deep sigh as she stood before Sokka. "You know, I kind of liked not having the ability to sense movements, 'cause now I can feel your obnoxious jittering," she said dryly. Sokka's mouth went agape, offended by the statement.

* * *

Katara silently led Zuko through the metal hallways of Azula's ship in search for Aang. After their sensitive talk, she was a little unsure what to say. She feared she might spoil Zuko's strangely sweet attitude. When she came upon a large metal door she paused and ran her hand over the cold metal handle. She tried to lift the handle, but was unsuccessful. She turned to Zuko with a look of helplessness. "He's most likely in here, but we need the key. Who knows where that could be?" 

Zuko merely shrugged his shoulders, and obvious sign that he did not care one way or the other if they freed Aang. Seeing that he was not going to be of any assistance, Katara took a step back and popped open the top from her flask. She pulled out a stream of water and moved it through the keyhole and around the entire handle. She then froze the water and used her bending to break the ice, breaking the inner latching mechanism within the handle. She watched in self-satisfaction as the door slowly fell open just a crack. Zuko tried to hide his impressed smile as Katara turned to him again.

Katara cautiously pushed open the cold metal door and peered inside. Her eyes lit up when she saw Aang in the center of the small metal prison, detained by several chains attached to his wrists. Her smile faded though as she noticed his head was hung, and judging by his clothes, he had been abused. She ran frantically to his side, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him gently. To her relief, Aang leisurely lifted his head, his eyes droopy. Apparently he had just been sleeping. His eyes widened brightly though, as he realized who was standing before him.

"Katara!" Aang exclaimed, joy overcoming him. Katara's smile returned and she wrapped her hands around Aang's head, which he happily allowed her to pull against her chest.

"You're alright… I'm so happy," Katara whispered and she let go of Aang's head and stared sweetly into his gentle eyes.

"So what happened?!" Aang questioned excitedly as Katara removed more water from her flask and froze it across the shackles on Aang's wrists. As the ice shattered, Aang shook the broken chains from his hands. He immediately wrapped his arms around Katara's neck. She happily returned the hug.

As Aang held Katara, he glanced across the cell room, only to discover Zuko standing in the doorway, leaning apathetically against the metal frame. Aang's eyes narrowed threateningly, despite Zuko's lack of attention to his presence. "What is he doing here?" He had not meant to say it aloud, but the last person he wanted to see at that moment was his enemy.

Katara pulled away from Aang, eyeing him curiously. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering what Aang was so upset about. She saw Zuko standing in the doorway, obviously the source of Aang's sudden discontent. She turned back to Aang, flashing him a calming smile as she spoke. "Zuko really is not such a bad guy. I think he has changed. There is nothing for you to worry about."

Aang's smile returned as he finally had the attention of Katara, whom he had missed so dearly. He nodded, though not entirely convinced that he could trust the man who had tried to capture him so many times. "Did you find Sokka and Toph?"

Katara shook her head. "No, but Suki and two of the other Kyoshi warriors are here searching for them." She put an arm around Aang, resting it on his shoulder as she guided him to follow her. "Let's go find them before Azula boards the ship again or we find other unwanted visitors."

As Katara walked past Zuko, who still leaned against the metal frame, she shot him a threatening glance. He of course ignored it and instead watched as Aang followed behind Katara. Aang watched him suspiciously, turning his head to keep his eyes on him even after he passed into the hallway. Zuko eventually followed behind the two, staying several feet away and pretending to be uninterested despite his attentive ears trying to hear the conversations between the two.

* * *

Not long after wandering through the cold corridors of the ship, Katara and Aang came upon the others just as they were walking out of the cell where Sokka and Toph had been detained. 

Momo immediately took flight from Suki's shoulder and landed upon Aang's head. His furry little head peered upside-down at Aang.

"Momo!" Aang exclaimed happily as he grasped the lemur under its arms and held it out before him.

Katara ran to her brother and Toph, wrapping her arms around them in a group hug. Toph and Sokka both rolled their eyes and reluctantly joined in the embrace.

"I am so glad that everyone is alright and we're all back together again!" Katara spoke softly as she took a step back to examine everyone.

Sokka's face suddenly contorted, catching Katara's attention.

"What's the matter?" Katara questioned. There was no need for a reply, as she noted Sokka's gaping eyes staring behind her, obviously at Zuko. She almost felt bad for Zuko, getting all the not-so-pleasant attention. She was surprised though, when Aang spoke up.

"Zuko's a good guy now!"

Sokka's face remained twisted, clearly appalled at the statement.

"Now Sokka," Katara began, her tone chiding.

A sudden halting motion of the ship ended Katara's sentence as everyone tumbled to the floor.

"What was that?" Aang asked as he and the others stood to their feet and gazed around.

"The ship stopped," Katara replied, "I think we had better get out of here quickly."

With that, they all took off quickly for the upper deck, in which they found a frightening surprise.

* * *

Surrounding the Fire Navy ship were hundreds of smaller ships, each carrying dozens of Fire Nation troops. Leader of the pack, Azula, was already aboard the ship and approaching Appa, fire in her hand. As if things could not look any worse, Katara noticed two others board the ship behind Azula; Mai and Ty Lee. 

"This is not good. We can't take them all on. Not yet at least," Sokka called out. "Everyone onto Appa now!"

Katara grabbed Toph's hand and guided her to Appa and up onto his saddle. As she helped Suki and the others girls up, she noticed Aang was still standing at the blasted doorway of the ship.

"Aang! What are you doing? Come on!"

Aang pulled out his glider and took a stance. "Go on without me! I'll keep them busy. I'll be fine!"

Sokka nodded to the reluctant Katara as he took Appa's reins. "We won't go far." he reassured her.

Katara stared sadly down at Aang as her brother spoke the magic words to Appa and they lifted into the sky.

As the distance between them and the ship increased, Katara could see flames erupting into the air. Her heart skipped a beat as she feared for Aang's life. She felt her brother's hand on her shoulder, and she turned to him with helpless eyes. "We can't lose him."

Once a safe distance away, Sokka pulled back on Appa's reins and turned around to face the direction from which they had came. Everyone waited silently for what seemed like days. The only sign of activity in the distance was a cloud of smoke, most likely from the fires caused by the benders.

Just as Katara was about to demand they head back, something came into view in the sky before them. She squinted, straining, desperately trying to see if it was Aang. Sure enough, it was.

"Hi guys! Did you miss me?" Aang asked in his typical cheerful tone as he glided onto Appa's head.

Katara let out a deep sigh of relief. Aang's smile quickly faded and was replaced by seriousness.

"I'll take over Sokka. We need to get out of here fast. They were following me."

Sokka moved from Appa's head and onto the overly crowded saddle between Suki and Toph. Aang took his seat at the base of Appa's head and quickly gave his command, "Yip Yip!"

Katara attempted to scoot over to allow more room for the others, but found herself uncomfortably close to Zuko, whose hand had somehow found its way to her side opposite of him. She could feel his hand grab at her side in a seemingly possessive manner. She shot him an angry glance, silently telling him to cut it out. He of course was looking forward, probably at nothing, and pretending not anything of significance was taking place.

* * *

Later that evening, the Aang gang and friends set up camp a short distance from Kyoshi Island. They had been lucky enough to escape the unwanted Fire Nation fleet when they flew over land. As darkness fell, everyone grew weary, and thus they chose a resting place in a thick forest where they could rest out of sight. 

As Katara aided Aang in placing sticks and twigs for a fire, she overheard her brother and Suki talking from their seat several feet away.

"What's wrong Sokka? You seem down," Suki looked over Sokka's face with concern. "Aren't you happy everyone is safe and we successfully evaded the Fire Nation troops?"

Sokka stared down at the grass between his crossed-legs, putting childishly. "It's not that…" he started.

Katara smiled faintly, having a pretty good idea as to what her brother's problem was. "I'll be right back Aang," she whispered and set down the bundle of wood she had been holding.

Momo immediately left from his spot upon Aang's shoulder to pick up one of the smaller twigs Katara had set down. After curiously observing Aang as he formed a pyramid from the pieces of wood he held, Momo began to follow suit. Aang gently patted Momo on the head. "You're such a great help Momo," he laughed.

After making a stop at Appa, she strolled over to her brother, carrying a brown sack. "I think I know what will cheer you up," she stated proudly to Sokka as she stood beside him.

Both Sokka and Suki gazed up at Katara, awaiting the supposed item of curing. Katara reached into the brown sack and removed Sokka's boomerang. She held it out before him, displaying it proudly.

"Boomerang!!" Sokka exclaimed and quickly snatched it from Katara's grasp. He held it to his chest like a cherished teddy bear, sparking giggles from both Suki and Katara. Sokka looked back up at his sister, sparkles in his eyes at his renewed joy. "Where did you find it?"

"Right where you left it," Katara replied.

Sokka wrapped his arms around Katara's legs, nearly causing her to topple over. "You're the best sister ever!"

Katara smiled and nodded. "I know."

As Katara returned to assist Aang, she was surprised to see he was already finishing up, along with the aid of Momo.

"Look Katara! Momo helped!" Aang pointed out as they both watched Momo throw a tiny twig into the pile.

Katara knelt down, giving Momo a pat on the head. "Such a good lemur," she teased. As she stood back up, she glanced over her shoulder to Zuko, who sat under a tree several yards away. "Mind giving us a light?" she called out to him.

There was no reply, as expected, but Zuko stood and sauntered over to the fire wood where he released a blast of fire from an extended hand. The blast nearly singed the hairs on Momo's face, causing him to take flight into a nearby tree, chattering angrily.

"Thanks," Katara stated blandly, rather annoyed by Zuko's ostentatious display. "You can go back to pouting under a tree." She caught a glimpse of Zuko's good eye twitch as he turned to leave. She smiled to herself in satisfaction. She was not sure why, but she rather enjoyed provoking Zuko.

Aang sensed a strange aura between Katara and Zuko. He glanced up at Katara suspiciously, noticing her intent gaze on Zuko as he walked away. He opened his mouth to ask Katara what was wrong, but decided it was better left alone.

* * *

With the night growing cold, everyone sat around the warmth of the fire, all except Zuko of course. He sat antisocially under a tree, pretending to have no interest in the others as they joked and laughed cheerfully. 

Toph licked her lips, intentionally making loud smacking noises. "I'm thirsty!"

Katara pulled out her flask, but as she opened it, she discovered it was empty. "I'll go get some water for us. I saw a stream not too far from here."

"I'll help!" Aang chimed and shot to his feet before Katara could.

Katara smiled, but turned down the offer. "Just stay here Aang. I won't be long."

Aang's expression dropped in disappointment. "OK," he murmured and slumped back down beside the fire.

As Katara wandered past Zuko, she had not noticed his eyes secretly following her.

Not long after Katara had disappeared into the dark thicket of trees, Zuko silently stood up, but was interrupted as he turned to head further into the forest.

"Where are you going?" Aang called out.

Zuko cringed, not wishing to explain himself to the Avatar of all people. Without turning to face Aang, he replied, "To relieve myself." Finding that to be a more than necessary explanation, he took off into the woods.


	25. Chapter 24

Shortly after Zuko had disappeared into the woods, Sokka noticed Suki trembling against his shoulder. He glanced at the fire, realizing it was burning rather low. He stood up and waved a hand to Aang.

"Aang, let's go get some more firewood. The fire is dying down and the girls are cold."

Aang nodded and stood to his feet. Sokka turned his attention to Suki who sat shivering beside one of the other girls, who were also trembling from the bitter cold. She smiled up at him though, a silent thanks for his help.

"While you're out there, tell Katara to hurry up. I'm thirsty!" Toph demanded.

Sokka ignored the demand, and headed into the forest where Zuko had slipped through earlier. Aang cheerfully followed Sokka, leaving Momo behind to sit in Suki's lap.

"Should we be going this way?" Aang questioned as he trailed only several inches behind Sokka. "I mean, Zuko did say he was going to 'relieve' himself, and he went this way."

Sokka stopped abruptly, causing Aang to nearly topple over him. After picking up a few small dry twigs, Sokka stood back up and shot Aang a nasty glance. "Don't follow so close!"

"Sorry," Aang replied sheepishly, his hand behind his head.

"We'll be fine. I'm sure he's already done." Sokka pushed aside several low hanging branches, allowing passage for Aang and himself.

* * *

Katara knelt down by a small stream, submerging her open flask in the cold water. Seemingly out of nowhere, a hand suddenly touched her shoulder, causing her to spin around in a panic and launch several frozen blasts at what she thought was an attacker. In the darkness all she could see was a figure lying several feet away. She heard a soft grown from the figure, and by the tone of voice, she was certain who it was. 

Katara made her way to the fallen figure, and sure enough, as her eyes adjusted, she saw exactly whom she had thought it to be.

"Zuko, why do you always sneak up on me?" she demanded, hand on her hips.

Zuko quickly got to his feet, his brows furrowed in frustration. "Why do you always attack anything that approaches you?" he shot back.

Katara ignored his question, since he had ignored hers, and came back with another one of her own. "What are you doing out here anyway?" She noticed Zuko's sudden change in behavior, as he began looking around nervously.

"I…" Zuko began slowly, "I just wanted to see if you needed help."

Katara laughed softly, amused by Zuko's poor excuse for why he had come looking for her. "Thanks, but I think I can fill a flask with water quite fine on my own," she said teasingly. The wind seemed to abruptly pick up, sending a cold breeze across her body. She trembled slightly, the chill nearly too much to bear. She glanced down at her hands, which were still wet from her dipping them in the water with her flask.

When Katara looked back up from her hands, she was startled to find Zuko standing much closer, a look in his eyes that made the cold disappear almost instantly. She tried to remain calm as Zuko brought his head down to hers, but she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks with no control. Their lips met, and before long Katara felt his warm hands on her back. The kiss made her blood nearly boil, and the warmth of his embrace made her momentarily forget everything going on around her. The world seemed to stop, and the wind no longer raged against her sensitive skin. All she could feel in the moment was the gentle heat emanating from Zuko's body.

Their kiss finally broke as Katara felt she was nearly out of breath. She stared into Zuko's golden eyes and nearly lost herself in them. It amazed her how much she yearned for him. She had to wonder if it was just the thought of having relations with the enemy. Her thoughts subsided as Zuko took a seat on the ground and reached out a hand to grasp her wrist. He pulled her down beside him. Her eyes fell onto his again and she searched for something to say.

Zuko reached out a hand to the nape of Katara's neck and pulled her head closer, initiating another kiss. Her thought were taken away again, and she unconsciously reached out a hand and placed it gently on the side of Zuko's scarred face.

* * *

"Hey Sokka, you think I could convince Zuko to teach me fire bending?" Aang questioned as he stumbled through the bushes, following a very determined Sokka. 

"No," Sokka replied simply, his tone bland and uninterested.

Aang's expression fell in disappointment. "Really? But…" he started to speak, but was quickly silenced when Sokka suddenly halted, dropping his bundle of wood. A hand darting out to cover Aang's mouth as the other hand pulled on his shoulder, forcing Aang to kneel behind a bush along side him. Aang dropped his bundle as well.

"Shhh…" Sokka whispered as he slowly removed his hand from Aang's mouth and held a finger before his own mouth.

Aang stared at Sokka in bewilderment as the two knelt low to the ground. He opened his mouth to question, but was once again silenced as Sokka shot him a threatening glare. Aang remained still as he watched Sokka slowly spread apart the branches of the bush before them. Sokka's eyes widened briefly in surprise, but quickly narrowed, a look of disgust on his face.

Aang's curiosity could no longer be contained. He leaned forward, his head touching Sokka's as he tried to peer through the opening Sokka had created. He squinted as he tried to make out the figures several feet before him in the clearing. When his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and the figures became visible, he was most certainly unprepared for what he saw. His jaw dropped and his stomach churned. In the clearing lie Zuko and Katara… in a passionate embrace. Aang could do nothing more than stare in awe as the couple shared kisses, steam rising slowly from their open mouths each time they broke a kiss.

Sokka finally broke Aang from his dazed state as he placed a firm hand upon his shoulder, shaking him back to reality. Aang stared up at Sokka, his eyes searching for answers that Sokka did not have.

"Let's get back to the camp site," Sokka whispered, his tone lacking any sign of emotion as he tried not to further upset Aang. He quickly scooped up the wood he had dropped and motioned for Aang to follow him.

Without any reply, Aang silently picked up several twigs and crawled behind Sokka until they were clear from the sight of the others, and stood to their feet.

* * *

"It's about time!" Toph exclaimed as she felt the approaching presence of Sokka and Aang back at the camp site. She held her head up towards Sokka as he approached, sensing a strange aura. "Is something wrong?" 

Aang's expression took a quick turn for the worse. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he stood by the fire, glaring at it accusingly. He tossed the few pieces of firewood he had carried back into the fire, staring fiercely at the flames as they rose and crackled with the new fuel. Toph sensed his raging emotions, and waited curiously for a reply from either of the boys.

Sokka took a seat beside Suki, who had also noticed the strange demeanors of the boys. She looked at Sokka with concern as he haphazardly tossed his wood into the fire. "Did something happen?" she questioned. She began to regret asking the question, as she saw Aang's face twist in fury.

"Aang," Sokka began.

Aang turned quickly, his back to the others. "I'm going for a walk," he growled, his tone dripping with resentment.

The others merely watched in silence as Aang disappeared into the forest.

Suki turned her attention back to Sokka again, hoping for an explanation, but as she thought about the situation, she knew exactly what must have happened.

Sokka glanced at Suki, his eyes serious. "Did you know about them?" he questioned.

Toph's brows rose at the mention of 'them'. She knew what they were talking about. She had suspected something between the two ever since the night they had disappeared at the same time, much like tonight.

Suki reluctantly nodded her head. She tried to defend Katara, feeling she had the right to make her own decisions. "I think Katara has helped guide Zuko. He's not the same person. He's helped Katara too."

"He's the enemy," Sokka replied, obviously disappointed in his little sister and not about to be persuaded to feel anything different.

The next few minutes went on in uncomfortable silence.

* * *

When Katara finally returned to the camp site, she was surprised to see the group simultaneously look up at her, all with expressions of discomfort, except for her brother, who stared at her in disdain. She stood in the clearing, almost afraid to move any closer with such accusing eyes intently watching her. She glanced around, realizing Aang was nowhere to be seen. She finally stepped towards the fire with caution. "Where's Aang?" she hesitantly questioned. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute sis?" Sokka asked as he stood up.

Katara's heart skipped a beat as she got the sudden feeling she might know what everyone was so hush about. Her eyes darted around, looking for some sort of excuse or method of avoiding the possible confrontation. "I…" she began, but was at a loss of words. Realizing she was reacting childishly, she let out a deep sigh. "…sure."

Katara warily followed her brother further away from the rest of the group. At a safe distance away, they stopped, turning to face each other.

"So what has happened in all this time we've been separated?" Sokka asked.

The question confirmed Katara's suspicions. He must have seen her. She let out another sigh before finally replying, "Listen, Sokka, if this is about Zuko… I'm a big girl. I can handle things just fine by myself." She now looked into her brother's eyes with confidence. "If you just give Zuko a chance, you'll see he's changed for the better."

"You're fraternizing with the enemy! That is unacceptable!" Sokka nearly hollered, completely ignoring Katara's statement.

Katara's eyes narrowed. "He's no longer the enemy," she shot back in defense.

"What were you thinking?" Sokka snapped, still ignoring his sister's words. "How did you think this would make Aang feel? Or did you even consider that?"

Katara's voice rose at the offensive accusation. "Of course I thought about Aang! How dare you accuse me of being so selfish! You know what… forget that last comment. This is not about you, or Aang. This **is** about me… me and Zuko. Whether or not you approve of our relationship is none of my concern. You're not my father, just as all of you have made it clear that I am not your mother, so don't lecture me!" With that, Katara spun on her heel and stomped back to the fire where she flopped down across from the four uncomfortable girls. "What?" Katara demanded discordantly. The girls sat in silence, too fearful to reply. Katara huffed in frustration and stood back up, storming off into the forest again.

* * *

As Katara stormed through the dark forest, her path random, she found herself running into Zuko. She really did not want to see him right now. He was staring at her with a questioning look. She was in no mood for explaining, but of course with her luck, he asked anyway. 

"What's wrong? Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Zuko stepped aside as Katara pushed past him. She spun around, her eyes narrowed as she snapped, "Well, apparently our relationship is deemed 'unacceptable'." Zuko did not reply, thrown off by her response.

As Zuko put the pieces together, he smiled arrogantly. "So we've been discovered?" Katara's body language spoke more than her words possibly could. "What's the big deal?"

Katara moved her arms from across her chest and placed her hand firmly on her hips. "The 'big deal' is my brother and Aang caught us," she growled. She really just wanted to walk away, knowing well that Zuko would likely make matters worse with his attitude.

Zuko chuckled snidely. "So what? So the Avatar is upset he lost his girlfriend to his enemy? Big deal. He'll get over it."

Katara stared at Zuko, awestricken. "What are you saying? I should not care that I've just possibly caused crucial pain to the savior of this world… to the one person capable of bringing an end to this war… to a good friend!? I think you need to get over yourself, Zuko." His name rolled off her tongue in a sickeningly spiteful manner, enough to quickly change Zuko's attitude.

Zuko's eyes stared fiercely into Katara's as he spoke slowly, "If you care so much about him, then just go to him and leave me alone." He was ready to turn and leave Katara standing there, but her abrupt expression change left him pinned in place. Her azure eyes fell sad, obviously hurt by his comment. Unwelcome tears of frustration formed in her eyes and her head fell in defeat.

Zuko remained still for several moments. When he heard a soft whimper escape Katara's lips, he stepped closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. He could feel the tears soak through his shirt as she pressed her face against his chest.

"I've never wanted to hurt Aang…" Katara spoke, her words broken by her choking tears and muffled by Zuko's chest. "…but I want to be with you." She lifted her head slowly, gazing into Zuko's eyes. She thought, for a second, she saw sadness in his eyes. She trembled as he ran a finger across her cheek, gently wiping away the tears that had fallen so carelessly.

"Katara…" Zuko began. The whisper of her name slightly eased Katara's worries. "…We'll make it work," he finished. The simple phrase had Katara feeling unexpectedly relieved.

* * *

_A/N: Whew! That was a roller coaster of emotions! I hate writing the romance scenes between Zuko and Katara. When I reread them, they seem so corny. I apologize if anyone else feels that way. I guess I'm more of a humor writer... but I love romance and I love a challenge. I hope my readers can enjoy my challenging portions... not just the humor._


	26. Chapter 25

After a brief discussion with Zuko about remaining unseen for a while, Katara wandered back to the campsite in hopes of finding Aang. She was surprised, however, to find herself running into her brother before reaching the site. She opened her mouth to speak, but was abruptly cut off by Sokka.

"Listen, Katara… I'm sorry about overreacting earlier…" Sokka began slowly, his head hung low. "I know I'm just being overprotective, but please try to understand, I'm trying to look out for you and the others in our group. I don't want anyone hurt."

Katara smiled sweetly and placed a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's alright. I'm sorry too. I know you're just trying to protect me. It will take some getting used to, but I'm sure all of you will see what I have seen in Zuko over the past weeks I've spent with him. However, I asked him to stay somewhat distant from the group for a while…" she laughed as she paused and thought about her last words, "Not that it will be a difficult task for him."

Sokka returned the smile and allowed his sister to give him a hug. "OK… OK… we're all better now," he groaned.

"Good!" Katara replied enthusiastically. "Has Aang come back to the campsite yet?" A shake of Sokka's head answered her question. She sighed, not looking forward to confronting him. "Well, I'm going to go look for him. The rest of you might as well hit the tent for the night. We need a lot of rest so we can plan and prepare for our future battle with the Fire Nation."

Sokka nodded and turned to walk back to the camp, but paused as his sister called out.

"Sokka…" Katara began, waiting for her brother to look over his shoulder before finishing. "Thanks… for looking out for me… and everyone else."

Sokka shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. It's nothing."

Katara stood silent as she watched her brother disappear into the darkness of the forest, taking a moment to gather her thoughts and prepare her speech for Aang.

* * *

When Katara finally discovered Aang, she found him sitting in the grass in a clearing, his arms wrapped around his knees as he held them against his chest. Her heart skipped a beat or two as she felt sudden remorse. As she slowly made her way to his side, his ears perked up and he quickly sat up, watching Katara intently as she took a seat beside him. She placed her hands behind her in the grass, letting the weight of her upper body fall back against her arms. Aang's eyes were on her face as she gazed up into the sky at the full moon. 

Katara let out a deep sigh, forgetting all the words she had rehearsed, and started from scratch. "Aang… I'm sorry you had to learn about this in the way that you did…" She turned her attention to Aang's face as she continued. "I know how you feel, and I know it hurts, but things will never change between you and me. I care about you Aang. You're one of the most important people to me, not just because you're the world's hope, but because you're my best friend too." She paused for several moments, studying Aang's sullen expression as his head lowered and his gaze fell to his feet. Another sigh passed her lips and she looked back up into the sky again. "You know, I really think things will turn out for the better with Zuko tagging along. You need a fire bending master, and he needs some guidance." She paused again, afraid to say what was next on her mind. "He also needs someone to help him into the spirit world… to see his uncle."

To Katara's surprise, Aang's response was much more pleasant than she had expected. He lifted his head, looking up into Katara's eyes as he spoke with a slight eager smile on his face. "You really think he'd teach me fire bending?"

Katara nodded. "I think if you help him into the spirit world, he'll be more than willing to assist you."

Aang's smile brightened as Katara wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug. "Thanks Katara."

* * *

As the sun rose the next morning, Katara was already awake. She had a not so good night sleep. Not only did she have the past events plaguing her mind, she also had to share a rather small tent with four other girls, including an obnoxious snoring Toph. Katara was uncertain how the girl could sleep. With all the grunting, snorting, and kicking, she should have kept herself awake. 

Katara quietly slipped out through the tent to inspect the boys. As she stood to her feet just outside the tent, her eyes scanned the area. She was surprised when she spotted Zuko lying comfortably against an uncharacteristically docile Appa. The fact that he had accepted Zuko aided in relieving Katara's troubles.

Katara slowly crept toward Zuko, stopping only a few inches before him. She gazed down at his soft listless features and listened to his soft breathing. She could not help to notice how serene and handsome he looked as he slept. She crouched down and reached out a hand, gently brushing aside the few strands of hair that lay across his face. He stirred at the touch of her fingers and slowly opened his eyes.

Startled by a sudden figure before him, Zuko leapt to his feet, knocking Katara onto her back. "Sorry!" he quickly apologized as he realized who lay before him. He held out his hands, allowing Katara to take them as he lifted her to her feet. "I guess we both have been a little jumpy lately," he said sheepishly as Katara dusted off her garments.

"I see Appa willingly let you sleep against him last night. He must have grown tolerant of you," Katara pointed out. As if understanding her words, Appa raised his head and yawned fiercely before licking the side of Zuko's face.

Zuko laughed softly, wiping away the trail of bison saliva left on his cheek. The laugh earned a smile and a soft kiss upon his clean cheek from Katara.

"I spoke with Aang last night. I think things will turn out great with you on our side. I'm actually rather confident that you and Aang will become good friends. He's agreed to help you into the spirit world to see your uncle considering you will aid him in mastering fire bending." The subsequent genuine smile on Zuko's face gave Katara a renewed feeling of hope. She truly felt things were turning out for the best. She was certain Zuko would accept the group, and they in turn would accept him. With a visit to his departed uncle, Zuko could finally rid himself of his terrible nightmares. Aang would finally learn fire bending, and thus, the group would have an unbeatable force against Fire Lord Ozai.

"I suppose I should start training him today?" Zuko spoke the words as more of a question than a statement.

Katara nodded. "I'm going to go wake him up now so you two can get started right away." She paused for a moment, realizing Zuko appeared suddenly distant. "You're making the right decisions now Zuko," she said softly, trying to console his evidently clouded mind. "That's all that matters. I bet your uncle is watching you right now, and I'm sure he's very proud of you for finding your way alone."

Zuko's head raised and his eyes met Katara's as he spoke hoarsely, "I haven't made it this far alone." He hesitated his speech, embarrassed to admit his feelings. "… You've helped me a great deal these past few weeks." As he finished his statement he felt surprisingly relieved.

Katara's smile brightened, flattered by Zuko's words. She knew not what to say in response, so she decided to just change the subject. "Well, I'm going to go get Aang, so just wait here until I'm sure he's ready for this."

Katara wandered over to Aang's tent just as he was stepping out. "Aang! I was just coming to wake you."

Aang smiled, acting his usual cheerful self.

"Are you ready to learn some fire bending?" Katara asked enthusiastically.

"Definitely," Aang replied, earning a tender smile from Katara.

"Well, we're running pretty low on supplies. We passed a village not too far from here so I'm going to go get Toph and we'll pick up some things while you and Zuko train. Sokka and the other girls will be here, so don't worry about being left alone with Zuko."

Aang nodded, acknowledging that he understood, and watched Katara stroll back to the girl's tent before turning his attention to Zuko who stood across the way, looking just as nervous as he was.

* * *

As Katara and Toph wandered down the streets of a small village, Katara noticed a small smile on Toph's face. "What are you smiling about?" she questioned out of curiosity. 

"Nothing," Toph replied, stifling a chuckle.

"Doesn't sound like nothing," Katara replied, her tone deepening in annoyance.

"It's just amusing that you like those kind of guys," Toph spoke snidely.

Katara's eyes narrowed and she halted in the middle of the street. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" she questioned defensively, staring down at Toph.

Toph stopped several inches in front of Katara and replied blandly, "You obviously like 'bad-boys'."

Katara huffed and tossed her braid behind her back. "What are you talking about? No I do not! Zuko is on our side!"

Toph laughed derisively. "Sure he is… and I suppose you think that Jet guy was on our side too," she mocked.

Hands on her hips now, Katara snapped back, "He was a jerk and I did NOT like him!"

Toph's smile widened as she replied coolly, "Katara, you forget, I can tell whether you're being truthful or not."

"Whatever!" Katara snapped and turned forward, stomping down the street with her chin in the air.

Toph laughed disdainfully as she followed shortly behind Katara.

* * *

Back at the camp site Aang silently followed Zuko into a small clearing away from the others for safety. 

Zuko took a stance several feet away from Aang, after turning to face him. "First lesson is basic breathing exercises!" he called forth with authority.

Aang's cheerful smile faded. His thoughts instantly trailed back to when he had been training with Jeong Jeong. He had thought the man was just being difficult, but now here was Zuko saying the same thing. "Do we really have to go through with this?" he whined.

Zuko's brows furrowed in annoyance. "Who's the teacher here? Do you want me to teach you fire bending or not?"

Aang released a deep sigh and slowly nodded his head. "You're right. I'm sorry. Please continue." He silently prayed that he would not have to repeat the horrible 'feel the sun' and 'squat' exercises all over again as well.

"Unlike earth, air, and water bending, fire bending does not require the presence of the bending element, which means it requires much more concentration," Zuko continued. "The fire comes from inside your body, so close your eyes, take deep breaths, and concentrate on feeling the heat within your own body." He closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths for demonstration before returning his attention to Aang.

Aang gave a quick nod, and closed his eyes. As he exhaled, he began to feel the warmth of his body flow out through his parted lips. He focused on the source of the warm air, eventually finding the source in his lungs. As he breathed in, he could feel cool air rush into his lungs, the heat from his body warming it just before his release. His eyes shot open, excited by his discovery. "I can feel the heat!"

Zuko held his hand to his forehead, lowering and shaking his head in disappointment at Aang's foolish choice of words. As he raised his head, he found himself looking at an overly enthusiastic Aang. After a drawn out sigh, he called out to Aang, "Alright, now we'll try a simple form of fire bending… the breath of fire." Aang's face lit up even more, but Zuko attempted to ignore the sickening cheerfulness. "Begin by arching forward just slightly. Take in as much oxygen as your lungs can handle, forcing the pressure into your lower abdomen. As you do this, you must concentrate all of your body's heat around your air passage. Once you've reached your intake limit, move your shoulders back and allow your diaphragm to contract quickly, forcing the heated oxygen up and out your mouth." As he finished his last sentence, he realized Aang's expression had taken a complete turn.

After a brief silence, Aang finally spoke out, "Uhh… could you explain that again? Maybe add a demonstration too?"

"Did you follow any of that?!" Zuko hollered as the thought struck him that Aang had not even been paying attention to his instructions.

Aang shrugged his shoulders, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry. I did hear it all, but that sounds rather complicated for my first shot at fire bending."

"Just watch me and do what I do," Zuko replied.

Aang gave Zuko his full attention, watching intently as he swiftly arched forward, took in a deep breath of air, then finally tilted his head back and released a stream of fire into the air. Smoke rolled slowly from the corners of Zuko's mouth as Aang cheered in excitement.

"That was great Zuko! I'm ready to try!"

Zuko opened his mouth to tell Aang to be careful and keep it small, but before a word could pass through his lips, Aang had already taken his breath. "Wait!" Zuko hollered, realizing the possible magnitude of Aang's bending if he released as much energy as he appeared to be summoning. Again, he was too late. Aang's shoulders fell back as he expelled a gigantic ball of fire from his mouth, the flames dieing out just before reaching Zuko's horrified face several yards away. The force of the blast sent Zuko falling back and onto the ground.

Aang had a mixed look of thrill and fright on his now red face. Zuko sat on the ground, staring blankly in awe at the massive proportion of Aang's first attempt. "I… I think that's enough for today." After slowly returning to his feet, he brushed himself off and awaited a reply from Aang.

Aang pouted as he whined, "That's it? Can you at least tell me how I did, or what I need to work on?"

"You need to work on your control," Zuko stated blandly before turning his back to Aang and sauntering off towards their campsite. He tried not to think about how easily Aang had performed fire bending, but unfortunately he could not dismiss the thought that he was a failure in comparison to the Avatar.

* * *

_A/N: My sincerest apologies for such a lack of updates on this. To be honest, I've had very little inspiration from this show for the last several months due to a lack of episodes. I'm finding it rather difficult to keep characters, well, in character, when I haven't seen an episode in nearly 2 months. I hope this is still enjoyable. I am trying my best to reach my goal and end the story. Hopefully this isn't too dramatic or drawn out. As always, please give me suggestions, opinions, feelings, etc, and thanks for reading!!_


	27. Chapter 26

Katara and Toph returned to camp later in the afternoon, just as a group of dark storm clouds were rolling in. Aang and Zuko sat around the remainder of the campfire, apparently working on Aang's bending. Zuko's back was to Katara as she walked up, and Aang was facing her, but his attention was on the smoldering embers piled before him. Momo stirred from his slumber in Aang's lap as he sensed Katara and Toph's approach.

"Hey twinkle-toes! How's that fire bending going? I hope Zuko's using my method, rather than Sugar Princess's method of teaching." Toph purposely spoke her nickname for Katara in a mockingly sweet manner, hoping to provoke her.

Katara rolled her eyes, and awaited Aang's reply.

Aang's face lit up as he spilled out the details in a much unstructured manner. "Zuko taught me how to blow fire out of my mouth! It was so cool! I blew out a ball of fire that must have been the size of Appa!" His sudden outburst startled Momo, who quickly took flight to Katara's shoulder.

Zuko shook his head, embarrassed by Aang's enthusiasm over their training.

Katara took a quick glance around their surroundings as she patted Momo's head gently. "Speaking of Appa, where is he?"

"And where's Sokka?" Toph added, sensing no other human presence.

"Sokka is taking the girls back to their village on Appa," Aang replied, finally containing his excitement.

"Well, there's another nasty storm coming, so I think we had better move this fire elsewhere," Katara pointed out as she and the others looked into the distant sky where the clouds were quickly rolling in.

"Actually, we passed a cave not far from here on our way to the village," Toph pointed out.

"Really? I didn't see it," Katara replied as she tried to remember the scenery from their venture.

"Neither did I," Toph replied blandly, pointing to her grey eyes, "I felt it."

Katara shook her head, not in the mood to start an argument by clarifying that she had not meant Toph should literally _see_ it. "Let's pack up and head to the cave now before we're drowned out. Toph and I picked up some fresh fish and fruit from the village, and there's plenty to spare since I had no idea Sokka would be taking off with the girls."

* * *

Katara stood at the cave entrance, watching shadows sweep across the land as the storm clouds advanced. Noticing the wind pick up in a sudden burst, she began to worry that her brother may not make it to Kyoshi Island before the storm. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Aang call out to her from deeper in the cave.

"Katara! Come over here! I'm going to light the fire with my bending!"

With a pleasant smile on her face, Katara made her way to the spot where Zuko, Toph, and Aang sat around a pile of dry wood. Momo sat further back in the cave, cowering in preparation for another fire show from Aang. Katara took a seat between Aang and Zuko, and patiently waited for what she presumed to be an overdramatic lighting of the campfire. Sure enough, Aang went beyond the necessary requirements and sucked in a deep breath before expelling it all in a fiery ball before the group.

Aang's face lit up enthusiastically as he proudly gazed at the fire that blazed center-stage of a group of rather un-impressed allies. "Wasn't that cool?!" He stared at Katara, expecting, or rather, hoping for praise.

Katara was about to give him a gentle scolding, but Zuko's hot-temper beat her to it.

"You need to control your bending! You're overdoing it! Fire bending is not a means of showing off!" Zuko stood to his feet, glaring down at Aang, who was gazing up at him innocently.

"I'm sorry Zuko…" Aang began to apologize.

Not giving him another second to finish, Zuko butted in, "Stop parading yourself around like your some prodigy, 'cause you're not! You're disgracing the art of fire bending!" He pointed an accusing finger at Aang, who looked to be close to tears.

Katara jumped to her feet, stepping before Zuko, her face merely inches from his. She matched his expression of outrage with her own, staring him down. His eyes locked onto hers, challenging her to say something, which she had every intention of doing so. "Stop patronizing him! We all know you're just jealous that Aang can learn and perform bending quicker and better than you! So just back off, or get out!" Not once taking her eyes off Zuko's, she pointed her finger to the exit of the cave, where in that moment lightning struck, the ensuing thunder rumbling almost deafeningly through the cave.

The cave grew strangely silent as Zuko and Katara stared each other down, Katara now the one challenging Zuko to speak against her. He did not, and instead he heatedly blew smoke from his nostrils before storming off through cave exit.

Katara sighed heavily, slightly regretting her outburst as she gazed down at her two, now obviously uncomfortable, friends. "Sorry guys," she whispered under her breath.

"That's alright Katara," Aang chimed, "Thanks for standing up for me. I'm sorry for starting this. I was sort of showing off." He hung his head shamefully, his smile fading just as quickly as it had come.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Toph assured, "I'm sure hot-head will get over it soon enough. He's got nowhere else to go."

"Gee, thanks Toph for those words of encouragement," Katara replied sarcastically.

"No problem, just keeping the positive attitude in the group," Toph retorted, equally sarcastic.

After a brief awkward silence, Katara let out a rather loud sigh before giving in to her feelings. "Why don't you two start cooking the fish? I'm going to go find Zuko before he's blown away in the storm."

* * *

Outside, the rain fell almost in sheets, the harsh wind gusting with such force that the rain moved almost horizontal. Katara lifted her hands before her, bending the water away from her face as she struggled to walk against the wind. She did not get far before she found Zuko standing in a clearing, his head raised to the sky. As she approached him, she could see his eyes were closed, the rain beating against his exposed flesh. She wondered if he noticed her presence as she stood behind him. Her mind fought over whether or not she should touch him. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand, gently running it down the bare, wet skin of his arm. He did not move, indicating to her that he had been aware of her company. "Zuko…" she was not even sure what she had planned to say. She removed her hand from his arm, taking a minute to gather her thoughts.

Katara was taken aback when Zuko slowly turned to her, revealing his red eyes. He had apparently been crying, which was surprising enough to her, but she wondered if it had been over their quarrel, or something else. "I'm sorry about what I said," she finally admitted, "I hadn't meant to make you feel so bad." She waited to see if he would say anything before continuing on. He stared at her with empty eyes, as if he was not really there, or he could not hear her. "Is there something else bothering you?"

Katara was starting to get frustrated with Zuko's silence, guilt getting the best of her. "I said I was sorry," she almost shouted. Realizing that getting angry was not going to solve the problem, she calmed herself back down before reiterating. "I didn't mean to say Aang was any better at fire bending than you are… but you can't belittle him like that. I know it's hard watching him catch on so quickly to bending. It bothered me too, but that's just how it is. He's the Avatar, so he's going to be a natural."

"Katara," Zuko finally spoke, his voice even more hoarse than usual.

The sound of her name spoken by Zuko startled Katara, but she stood silent, ready to listen to whatever he had to say.

"You don't need to apologize. You were right." Zuko turned his head, looking away from Katara as he wiped away the rain from his face.

"You're thinking about your Uncle, aren't you?" Katara questioned softly as she stepped closer to Zuko, lifting her hands to bend the rain above their heads, creating an umbrella. He did not reply, but she was certain that was what was bothering him the most at that moment. "I promise, you'll see him soon. I'm sure Aang can help you get to the spirit world. We'll all help you." She let one of her hands work the bending alone as she let the other take Zuko's hand. She was pleased to see an uncharacteristic smile of his face as she held his hand while shielding him from the rain. She was not entirely sure he was happy in the moment, but she knew he was at least making an effort to make her happy by offering his smile.

Katara was broken from her silent gaze with Zuko as a sudden burst of wind sent her tumbling forward, crashing into Zuko's chest. She lost her concentration on her bending as she toppled onto Zuko, who had been just as much caught off guard. Zuko hit the soft ground with a thud as Katara fell on top of him. She stared worriedly at him from her haphazard position above him, expecting him to fume in frustration over the situation, but to her utter surprise he laughed instead.

"You know, I never thought I'd like a girl like you Katara," Zuko chuckled, "Nor did I think a girl like you would be interested in me."

Though Katara knew how rare of an occurrence it was to find Zuko being semi-benevolent, she could not help but tease him. "What makes you think I'm interested in you?" She tried to hide her smile, but Zuko saw right through her façade. She expected a witty comeback, but instead she received a much more desirable response. Zuko's hand weaved into her wet braid as he pressed his lips gently against hers.

Despite the cold rain trickling down the sides of her face, Katara's cheeks grew hot as she returned the passionate kiss. She had to wonder, as they lay there on the cold, damp earth, why she liked Zuko. Initially she had thought her interest had sprung from the idea of him being a 'bad boy', but it was obvious that was not what she saw. He was clearly not as bad as everyone had suspected, and that he was merely troubled… in need of direction. She wondered if it was just the fact that he was older and she had never really been with a boy before. All she was sure of, was that she loved the way his kiss sent waves of heat rushing to her cheeks and through her body.

When Zuko finally released Katara's head from his hand and broke the kiss, they simultaneously released quick breaths, the heat forming small puffs of fog. As they stood to their feet, Katara tried to avoid eye contact, her cheeks still flush from both excitement and shyness. She could feel Zuko's eyes on her, making it almost impossible to avoid eye contact. When she finally lifted her head, she found Zuko smiling rather conceitedly at her. "What?" she asked defensively, feeling he must be laughing at her about something she was unaware of.

"That makes me think you're interested," Zuko stated matter-of-factly.

Katara rolled her eyes, snatching one of Zuko's hands into her own. "Come on. Let's head back before we're blown away." She tugged at his hand with enough force to nearly send him back to the ground again. He chuckled softly, knowing she was just upset that he was right, but said no more as he allowed her to pull him along back to the cave.

* * *

Back at the cave, Toph sat up as she felt the approach of Zuko and Katara. "Looks like they kissed and made-up," she murmured dryly under her breath as she felt the disgustingly cheery and lovey-dovey aura emanating from the two who were now taking their seat beside the fire with Toph and Aang.

A row of cooked fish lie strewn out beside the fire, apparently already cooked and ready to eat. Momo sat in Aang's lap, eyeing the fish hungrily.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!" Toph announced before stuffing an entire fish into her mouth.

Zuko, Katara, and Aang all watched in disgust as Toph devoured her fish in nearly one bite. Unable to argue with the rumbling of his stomach, Zuko reached for a piece, but before bringing it to his mouth, he instead handed it over to Katara. She smiled thankfully as she carefully took the offered fish. "Thanks," she said quietly, hoping not to stir up any bad emotions in Aang at the sight of their affections. Zuko proceeded to hastily pick up another piece and consume it quickly, though not before Toph could demolish two more pieces.

"Aren't you going to have any Aang?" Katara questioned when she noticed Aang had given a fish to Momo rather than eat it himself.

"I'm not hungry," Aang replied in a strangely excited tone. "I'm excited about learning more fire bending!"

Katara turned to the cave opening, watching the wind and rain blow dangerously, before turning back to Aang. "I don't think you'll be doing anymore fire bending tonight. We should probably just call it quits early tonight so we can hopefully get up tomorrow morning with decent weather. If Sokka makes it back by tomorrow, I think we need to not only practice our bending, but work on a plan to infiltrate the fire nation." As she spoke the last line, everyone fell awkwardly silent. She turned to Zuko, whom she had not even thought about as she had spoken the last segment. Thankfully, he seemed unaffected as he chomped down on his second fish.

Katara had a sudden sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Could they really attack the fire nation with Zuko in their party? Would he even go along with it? Why hadn't she thought of this before? _The thoughts plagued her. Even though Zuko was apparently on the good side now, there was no telling how he would react to the idea of attacking his own nation, yet alone his father. Wishing not to stir up any unnecessary conflicts, she quickly changed the subject in Zuko's favor. "Tomorrow we need to work on helping Zuko get to the spirit world. I think he may be able to not only help himself, but perhaps get us some useful information as well."

Aang nodded, and Zuko's attention had been broken from his food. His eyes lit up briefly, a look of hope apparent on his face. His eyes met Aang's, which had a surprisingly friendly glisten to them.

"We'll work on that after a brief training period," Zuko murmured in an uncharacteristically kind gesture. He could have smacked himself for making the offer. It was clear that all the time he had been spending with the Avatar group lately was having a bad affect on his personality. He was slowly growing soft, something he had always told himself he never would do. He needed that anger to fuel his fire bending. And yet, he was happy to see Aang and Katara both smiling.


	28. Chapter 27

As the sun began to rise above the horizon, and the clouds slowly cleared away, a small beam of sunlight made its way through the forest trees, through the cave entrance, and fell mercilessly upon Zuko's scarred eye. Zuko groaned and rubbed his eyes, fighting the uncontrollable forces that wished to wake him. As if on cue, he felt a looming presence over him. Although the figure blocked the obnoxious beam of light that had nearly deepened the burn on his left eye, the heated gaze emanating from said figure was far less tolerable.

"Zuko! Get up! You need to get outside and teach Aang to control his fire bending! He's going to end up burning down the forest!"

Zuko released a loud sigh before sitting up and firing an agitated glare at Katara, who stood before him, hands on her hips as usual. He pushed himself up to his feet before her, but knowing she was challenging him and wanting an argument, he kept calm. Instead, he made an attempt to smooth talk her, which unfortunately was not one of his fortes. "You're beautiful when you're angry." As if the comment itself was not bad enough to Katara, he slurred when he spoke, still groggy after his abrupt awakening.

Realizing his ability to speak poetry, or anything comparable, was lacking, Zuko took an alternate approach to avoiding an argument. He swiftly stepped closer to Katara, his chest brushing against hers. Seeing her cheeks grow flush, it was obvious she had forgotten her original objective. As she opened her mouth to murmur a quiet protest, Zuko took the moment to embrace her, placing a soft kiss on her parted lips.

Katara abruptly broke the contact after reminding herself that the others were just outside the cave. "Let's try not to do this around the others, especially Aang," she whispered. Zuko looked fairly irritated by her request, but kept his mouth shut about the matter. Looking over Katara's shoulder, Zuko saw Aang step into the cave, apparently unaware of the affair the couple had just had.

"Hey Zuko! What's today's lesson?" Aang blurted out as he scampered inside, Momo flying not far behind. Aware that she was still rather close to Zuko, Katara took several steps back before Aang stopped beside them. Thankfully, Aang's bright smile indicated he was not suspicious. "Are you going to teach me to shoot lightning?" Aang prodded. Katara's eyes widened at the question, and she awaited the inevitable anger that was sure to ensue. To her surprise, Zuko remained calm.

"No," was the dull, simple answer. Aang gazed up at Zuko in disappointment. Zuko further explained, "We're going to work on your control." Aang nodded, knowing he was certainly in need of some self-control when it came to fire bending. He wished more than anything, not to ever hurt anyone again with his bending.

"Later today, after you two have finished your training, we should work on getting Zuko to the spirit world," Katara suggested. She was pleased to see a small glint of hope in Zuko's eyes.

* * *

As Katara knelt down beside a stream, filling her flask with the cool water, she began to wonder how Zuko and Aang were getting along. She had left them to their training, along with Momo and Toph, earlier that morning while she ventured out alone to gather dry wood and, though she had not mentioned it to the others, some alone time to relax. After putting away her flask, she took a seat in the soft grass at the water's edge, letting her feet dangle in the cold, but refreshing water. She gazed into the water, watching her own reflection stare back up at her. However hard she tried though, she could not seem to keep her mind off Zuko and Aang, feeling it might have been a mistake to leave them unsupervised. The combination of Zuko's short-temper and Aang's jealousy was sure to cause some problems, and Toph was likely not to help the matter with her sarcasm. Unable to bear the thought of likely disaster, she silently cursed at her reflection before pushing herself to her feet and making her way back to the group.

When Katara arrived back at the site, she was surprised to find that the others were not outside. She silently prayed that they were not practicing fire bending in the small cave. As she made her way closer to the cave entrance, she heard a shrill voice from inside that sounded strangely familiar. She could not quite make out what was being said, but as she reached the opening into the cave, she was certain it was Zuko's voice. Laughter followed the odd outbursts, which she was sure were coming from Aang and Toph. Curious, she slowly made her way into the cave. She was baffled at the sight that lay before her.

Zuko, with his back to Katara, had his hair stuffed behind his ears, with the exception of a few strands on either side of his face, which were tightly looped across his face in a familiar fashion. His hands were flailing about girlishly as he flounced about while speaking in a mocking tone, "Look at me, I'm Katara! I think I can tell everyone what to do, because I'm a woman!" Aang and Toph were both nearly in tears from their fits of laughter. Zuko continued on in an uncharacteristically joking manner, playing with the hair loops he had shaped, "I do my hair like this because the loops work like divining rods, to keep me in tune with the water!" His tone remained high pitched and dripping with sarcasm.

By that point, Katara's initial shock had worn off, and was replaced with rage. She stormed into the room, hands on her hips. Momo chattered in fear from his seat in Toph's lap before taking flight towards the back of the cave. Aang's laughter immediately ceased as he noticed her presence. Zuko, however, had not yet realized that his subject of mockery was standing directly behind him. Toph's laughter had softened slightly. Although she had known the whole time Katara had been present, she was now trying to stifle laughter at Zuko's ignorance. Aang attempted to point past Zuko, alerting him of Katara's presence, but Zuko was apparently enjoying himself too much to notice the signs. Katara cleared her throat loudly, startling Zuko to the point that he spun around so fast he lost his balance, falling backwards into Aang. They both crashed to the floor, gazing up at Katara in utter shock and fear. Toph's laughter grew louder, amused by everyone's apparent tone.

"So you think that's how I act, huh?" Katara demanded as she towered over the guilty boys. "You really think you're cute, don't you Zuko?"

Zuko's cheeks reddened, though from embarrassment rather than anger. He opened his mouth to utter some sort of explanation in defense of himself, but Katara would not allow it.

"And to think I was worried that you two would not be getting along, while here you were, getting along just fine because you were making fun of me!"

Toph lazily forced herself to her feet before butting in. "Cool it sugar queen. We were just having some fun. I'm sure if we were making fun of, say Suki, or your brother, you would have been just fine with that."

Aang released the breath he had been holding as Katara's attention had now turned to Toph. Zuko pushed himself off Aang and they both stood, taking several steps back away from the fuming Katara.

Katara made her way towards Toph, and had she been a fire bender, smoke would have been pouring from her ears and nose. "Fine then, why don't we make fun of you, fungus princess!" she snarled. Katara's voice turned mocking as she chanted, "Oh look at me! I'm Toph! I don't wear shoes because I like the smell of stinky feet, and I like to cut down others to make me feel better about myself!"

Fear returned to Aang's heart, certain Toph was going to lose her cool at the last comments. Another relieved sigh came as Toph's laughter returned. "Good one Katara," she snorted, "Fungus princess! I like that!" Katara's expression slowly lightened, and she too joined in the laughter. Aang stared blankly at the girls, then turned to Zuko, who was just as dumbfounded and awkward feeling as he was.

When the laughter ceased, Katara turned to Zuko, whose face was red, apparently still embarrassed from being caught in the act. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute… outside?"

As if there was really any possible answer other than yes, Zuko murmured an unenthusiastic "sure" before following Katara outside. Katara led him several feet from the cave, to ensure some privacy, but her senses easily picked up on the little spies that had followed them to the cave opening.

"I know you two are back there!" Katara called out. She could hear Aang and Toph scuttle further back into the cave. Zuko stood tall, waiting for what he expected to be a reprimanding lecture.

"Zuko," Katara began gently and slowly, "Although that wasn't exactly what I had in mind, I'd like to tell you how pleased I am to see you getting along with Aang and Toph. It means a lot to all of us that you've joined the group and changed your ways. I think, though, it means the most to me." She took a quick moment to glance over her shoulder, ensuring there were no spies watching them. Apparently Zuko had known what she was intending to do, because when she turned back to him, his face was already nearing hers. They shared a short kiss before Katara stepped back, stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Zuko demanded, offended that she might have been laughing at his kiss, or worse yet, what he had been doing earlier. Sure enough, it was the worse of the two possibilities.

"I still can't get past what you were doing earlier," Katara laughed. "I never would have thought that was you in there acting like that if I hadn't seen you with my own eyes!"

"Me either," Zuko murmured, "So don't get used to it. It won't be happening again." He looked away from Katara, trying to hide his embarrassment and mask it with his typical anger. Of course, Katara saw right through his façade.

"Well, if you do act like that ever again, it had better not be about me!" Katara teased. She stood silent for several moments, just smiling kindly at Zuko as he blushed and kicked his right foot in the dirt. "As soon as my brother returns, I say we work on getting you to your uncle."

Zuko's blush faded, and his scowl was replaced with a look of hope. "Do you really think I can go to the spirit world?"

"No," Katara replied simply, a teasing smile on her face. She laughed when Zuko's face fell sullen, and before it could turn to anger she quickly finished, "I _know_ you can."

Zuko stepped closer, bringing his face close to Katara's. His cheek brushed against hers as he whispered softly in her ear, "Thank you, Katara," earning a soft blush on Katara's tanned cheeks.

Katara smiled shyly, looking away to prevent herself from being distracted by him as she spoke, "We'll need to go someplace spiritual to do this, so perhaps we can go to the western air temple. I know it may not be the best place for you to link to the spirit world, but I have a feeling you can't get there on your own, Aang will have to take you there somehow."

"That's fine Zuko replied and took several steps back, breaking their close contact.

As the two made their way back to the cave, Katara was glad to see that Toph and Aang had no longer been spying on her and Zuko, although Aang appeared to be rather worried as she approached.

"Don't worry Aang, you're not in trouble," Katara laughed. "But as soon as Sokka returns with Appa, we're heading for the western air temple to aid Zuko in reaching the spirit world."


End file.
